AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


BY 


RUTH  SHEPARD  PHELPS 

ASSOCIATE   PROFESSOR   OF  ROMANCE    LANGUAGES    IN  THI 
UNIVERSITY   OF   MINNESOTA 


GINN  AND  COMPANY 

BOSTON  •  NEW  YORK  •  CHICAGO  •  LONDON 
ATLANTA  •  DALLAS  •  COLUMBUS  •  SAN  FRANCISCO 


\\ 


COPYRIGHT,  1917,  BY 
RUTH  SHEPARD  PHELPS 


ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 

225.5 


Wbt  iSttienatum  grettg 

GINN  AND  COMPANY  •  PRO- 
PRIETORS •  BOSTON  •  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

What  is  new  in  this  work  is  chiefly  the  division  and  arrange- 
ment of  topics,  though  the  Introduction  assembles  material  upon 
pronunciation  and  versification  not  hitherto  brought  together  in 
English,  and  there  is  some  novelty  in  subject  matter  in  the  exer- 
cises for  translation.  The  plan  of  the  book  has  the  merit  of  having 
grown  directly  out  of  the  needs  of  the  classroom.  The  arrange- 
ment is  such,  it  is  hoped,  as  will  make  the  book  equally  serviceable 
for  the  classroom  and  for  private  study,  and  will  give  it  certain 
of  the  advantages  of  both  "  first  book  "  and  reference  grammar. 

The  beginning  has  been  deliberately  made  very  easy.  Even  the 
definite  article,  with  which  most  Italian  grammars  naturally  begin, 
has  been  deferred  in  favor  of  the  indefinite,  which,  as  it  lacks  a 
plural,  has  fewer  forms  itself  and  does  not  immediately  require  the 
plural  of  nouns.  This  leaves  the  attention  free  to  center  upon  the 
single  new  principle  of  the  "^  impure."  The  definite  article  with 
its  more  complicated  forms  is  not  introduced  until  the  fourth  les- 
son, and  the  main  body  of  rules  governing  its  syntax  not  until  the 
twenty-second.  The  plural  of  nouns  is  treated  in  its  simpler  aspects 
in  the  third  lesson,  and  extensively  in  the  thirtieth. 

This  method  of  breaking  up  the  more  diflficult  subjects  and  pre- 
senting them  at  first  piecemeal,  reserving  more  thorough-going 
treatment  for  a  later  chapter,  has  been  followed  throughout.  The 
subjunctive,  for  example,  is  introduced  one  rule  at  a  time,  each 
illustrated  by  a  sentence  or  two  in  all  subsequent  exercises,  so  that 
its  use  in  a  few  standard  cases  at  least  will  become  automatic,  and 
the  student  will  not  fall  into  the  way  of  regarding  it  as  an  unusual, 
unnatural  mood,  reserved  for  special  occasions.    The  subject  is 

iii 

ivi209968 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

treated  as  a  whole  in  Lesson  XXVI 1 1.  Many  of  the  idiomatic 
uses  of  da^  likewise,  are  introduced  early,  although  the  general 
treatment  of  prepositions,  including  a  great  number  of  idioms  con- 
structed by  means  of  them,  is  one  of  the  last  in  the  book.  The 
verbs  essere  and  avere^  except  for  the  indispensable  present  indica- 
tive, are  postponed  until  the  regular  verbs  have  been  completely 
learned.  The  subject  of  conjunctive  pronouns,  sometimes  pre- 
sented in  a  single  lesson,  is  here  divided  among  four,  not  consecu- 
tive, while  sentences  in  the  intervening  and  subsequent  exercises 
continue  practice  upon  them. 

In  consequence  of  this  method  of  introducing  a  working  knowl- 
edge of  many  difficult  principles  early,  while  leaving  their  more 
complicated  treatment  for  later  chapters,  the  book  can  be  divided 
rather  easily,  if  desired,  into  first  and  second  year  work.  Twenty- 
seven  lessons,  let  us  say,  would  introduce  more  or  less  fully  all  the 
more  important  principles,  and  cover  completely  the  subject  of 
conjunctive  pronouns.  These  lessons,  with  the  irregular  verbs  of 
the  remaining  lessons,  might  constitute  the  first  year's  work, 
leaving  twelve  lessons  of  more  complicated  questions  of  syntax 
for  the  second  year. 

It  has  not  always  seemed  desirable  to  be  entirely  consistent  in 
this  breaking  up  of  the  more  difficult  subjects  ;  logical  arrangement 
has  sometimes  seemed  to  require,  as  in  the  case  of  the  person  in 
address,  a  complete  treatment  at  first.  Where  this  has  been  the 
case,  the  paragraphs  dealing  with  the  more  subtle  points  are 
marked  with  a  star,  and  may  be  assigned  merely  to  be  read  over, 
or  omitted  altogether,  as  the  exercises  do  not  illustrate  them.  In 
any  case  the  index  makes  scattered  material  readily  available. 

As  to  the  exercises,  the  older  custom  has  been  observed  of  mak- 
ing them  accompany  the  lessons  they  illustrate,  in  the  belief  that 
this  arrangement  keeps  the  student  better  in  mind  of  all  the  work 
he  has  done  and  facilitates  review.  In  designing  the  work  which 
illustrates  the  new  principles  as  they  are  introduced,  the  desirability 
of  continuing  practice  on  principles  already  acquired  has  been  kept 

iv 


PREFACE 

steadily  in  mind.  If  the  instructor  prefers  fewer  sentences  for 
translation,  the  assignment  may  be  limited  to  those  which  illus- 
trate the  current  lesson.  Where  the  vocabulary  seems  long,  there 
will  usually  be  found  a  large  proportion  of  those  words  whose 
meaning  can  be  guessed  at  a  glance,  and  far  more  of  them  occur 
in  the  paragraphs  of  Italian  reading  matter  than  in  the  sentences 
for  translation.  The  paragraphs  of  Italian  on  which  the  exercises 
for  translation  are  based  are  in  small  part  original,  in  large  part 
borrowed  or  adapted  from  Italian  school  readers  designed  for  the 
lower  grades.  So  they  furnish  practice  from  the  first  in  reading 
connected  prose,  offer  a  good  practical  vocabulary,  and  deal  at- 
tractively with  Italian  home  and  school  life,  and  the  history  of 
modern  Italy.  Thanks  are  due  to  Messrs.  Bemporad  e  Figlio  for 
permission  to  use  selections  from  the  readers  77  mondo  nuovo  by 
Renato  Fucini  and  two  Libri  di  lettura  by  Neretti  and  Gironi, 
and  to  the  Societk  Laziale  Editrice  of  Rome  for  permission  to 
make  similar  use  of  paragraphs  from  La  terza  Italia  in  Lessons 
XXVIII  and  XXIX.  These  last,  it  may  to-day  be  necessary  to 
add,  were  not  selected  with  any  idea  of  influencing  American  sen- 
timent, but  to  show  what  topics  were  agitating  the  Italian  mind 
in  the  last  days  before  the  Great  War  broke  out. 

The  series  of  dialogues  in  the  latter  part  of  the  book  offers  a 
little  practice  in  familiar  idiom ;  they  are  especially  intended  for 
travelers,  as  they  include  a  good  many  words  useful  in  the  shops 
and  hotels,  on  the  railway,  and  so  on.  They  are  composed  in  a 
Tuscan  too  colloquial  to  form  the  basis  of  exercises,  and  may  be 
entirely  omitted  at  the  pleasure  of  the  instructor. 

The  third  person  as  the  person  of  address  in  ordinary  inter- 
course, being  the  only  one  for  which  most  travelers  have  occasion, 
is  introduced  very  early,  before  the  habit  of  the  true  second  person 
is  acquired.  Accordingly,  in  the  exercises  it  is  the  latter  which  is 
made  to  seem  the  unusual  form. 

Questions  of  pronunciation,  accent,  orthography,  and  the  like  are 
treated  in  the  Introduction,  along  with  an  outline  of  the  Italian 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

system  of  versification  and  some  hints  as  to  the  reading  of  Italian 
poetry.  As  the  pronunciation  cannot  be  perfectly  represented  for 
English  readers  by  any  system  of  equivalent  spellings,  the  instructor 
will  find  it  necessary  to  supplement  viva  voce  what  is  said  here. 

Of  the  many  works  that  have  been  consulted  in  the  preparation 
of  this  book,  those  which  have  been  most  closely  followed  are 
R.  Fornaciari's  Grammatica  italiana  delP  uso  moderno,  Parts  I  and 
II,  and,  especially  for  the  Introduction,  Ortoepia  e  ortografia  ita- 
liana moderna,  by  G.  Malagoli.  The  dictionaries  of  Edgren  and 
Petrocchi  have  been  constantly  consulted ;  suggestions  as  to  ma- 
terial and  arrangement  have  been  gained  from  the  Italian  work  of 
Morandi  and  Cappuccini  and  from  my  American  predecessors  in 
this  field,  and  for  several  hints  as  to  Tuscan  idiom  I  am  indebted 
to  the  grammars  of  N.  Orlandi  and  Alina  Vannini.  And  I  desire 
to  thank  Professor  A.  A.  Livingston  of  Columbia  University  for 
kindly  undertaking  the  laborious  task  of  reading  this  book  in  proof, 
and  for  his  very  valuable  suggestions  on  many  points. 

RUTH  SHEPARD  PHELPS 
University  of  Minnesota 


VI 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction 

Alphabet i 

Pronunciation 2 

Syllabification 15 

Tonic  Accent 15 

Graphic  Accents 19 

Elision 20 

Apocopation 22 

Variant  Forms  of  Words 24 

Capitalization 25 

Archaic  and  Poetic  Forms 26 

Versification 28 

Lessons 

I.  Indefinite  Article 33 

II.  Present  of  avere  and  essere.    Pronouns  in  Address     ...  36 

III.  Plural  of  Nouns.    Future  Indicative 39 

IV.  Definite  Article.    Past  Absolute  Indicative 41 

V.  Contraction  of  Article.    Past  Future 45 

VI.  Gender  of  Nouns 48 

VII.  Adjectives  and  Adverbs 51 

VIII.  Regular  Verbs 58 

IX.  Conjunctive  Pronouns 63 

X.  Essere.   The  Passive  Voice 67 

XI.  Conjunctives    Continued.       Auxiliaries    with     Intransitive 

Verbs 71 

XII.  Reflexive  Verbs 76 

XIII.  Possessives 81 

XIV.  Changes  of  Letters  in  Regular  Verbs.    Relative  Pronouns  .  86 
XV.  The  Comparative 90 

XVI.  The  Verb  avere 95 

vii 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

Lessons  page 

XVII.  Two  Conjunctive  Objects.    Conjunctive  Adverbs  .     .  loo 

XVIII.  Irregular  Verbs .103 

XIX.  Dare,  sap  ere,  volere 107 

XX.  Disjunctives.    Venire 1 1 1 

XXI.  Tenses.    Verb  and  Subject 117 

XXII.  Definite  Article.  Andare.    L'Arrivo 126 

XXIII.  Cardinal  Numerals.  Morire 135 

XXIV.  Ordinal  Numerals,  Collectives,  etc.    Parere      .     .     .  142 
XXV.  Indefinite  Article.  Fare.    Dialogue:  L'Albergo      .  149 

XXVI.  Impersonal  Verbs.  Stare 155 

XXVII.  Conjunctive  with  Dependent  Infinitive.  Potere.   Dia- 
logue:   Dalla  sarta 160 

XXVIII.  The  Subjunctive.    Dolere 164 

XXIX.  The  Infinitive.    Dire        170 

XXX.  Number  of  Nouns.    Piacere 175 

XXXI.  Modal  Auxiliaries.    Dovere.    Dialogue:   Dal  sarto  .  184 
XXXII.  Relative,     Demonstrative,     and     Interrogative     Pro- 
nouns.   Udire 190 

XXXIII.  Participles.   Porre.    Dialogue:  Dal  calzolaio     .     .  196 

XXXIV.  Gender  of  Nouns.    Uscire 203 

XXXV.  Indefinites.   Scegliere.    L 'Automobile      .     .     .     .  209 

XXXVI.  Adverbs.    Valere 220 

XXXVII.  Prepositions.    Dialogue:  Dalla  modista  .     .     .     .  232 
XXXVIII.  Augmentatives    and    Diminutives.      Dialogue:     Si 

fanno  le  compre 246 

XXXIX.  Conjunctions  and  Interjections 251 

Alphabetical  List  of  Irregular  Verbs 261 

Italian-English  Vocabulary 275 

English-Italian  Vocabulary 301 

Index 323 


AN   ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


INTRODUCTION 


I.  The  Alphabet 


1.  The  Italian  alphabet  is  composed  of  twenty-one  letters. 
Those  whose  names  end  in  -a  are  of  feminine,  those  in  -e  of 
common,  and  the  others  of  masculine  gender ;  but  they  all 
may  be  treated  as  feminine,  to  agree  with  lettera  understood. 
They  do  not  change  for  the  plural.   Their  Italian  names  are — 


Italian 
Letters      Names 


a 

bi 

ci 

di 

e 

effe 

gi 

acca 

i 

elle 

emme 


Pronuncia- 
tion 

(ah) 

(bee) 

{chez!C) 

(Dee) 

(^le) 

(effay) 

(ahkkah) 
(mach/ne) 
(ellay) 
(emmay) 


Italian     Pronuncia- 


Letters      Names 


enne 

0 

pi 

cu 

erre 

esse 

ti 

u 

vu 

zeta 


(ennay) 

(toll) 

(pea) 

(coo) 

(erray) 

(essay) 

(tea) 

{poz€) 

iyoodiOO) 

(dzayta) 


The^letter  j  (i  lungoVe^ists,  but  only  as  a  di^jsritical  mark 
some  writers  to^imicate  the  use  of  i  as,«^mivowel  (of.  4) : 
1,  operajo ;  or  mrfead  of  ii :  desidf rj ;  fik  for  the  spelling  of 
words. 

&.  The  following  consonants  also  exist  in  Italian,  for  the  spelling 
of  foreign  words :  k  (cappa),  w  (doppio  vu),  y  (ipsilon  or  i  grfco), 
and  X  (icse  or  ics). 


j§  2-3      '  "  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

II.  Pronunciation  of  the  Letters 


2.  The  Vowel  Sounds.    There  are  seven 

ilian,  as  follows  : 

a  =  ah 

fa 

?  (close)  =  ale 

pep? 

f  (open)  =  m^n 

bfUa 

i  =  machme 

Mimi 

9  (close)  =  low 

SQlQ 

q  (open)  =  ought 

SQ 

u  =  moon 

luna 

a.  As  the  rules  given  (cf.  3)  for  determining  the  close  and 
open  e  and  o,  besides  being  difficult  to  remember,  do  not  cover  all 
cases,  these  vowels,  when  accented,  will  be  marked  in  this  book 
(as  indicated  above)  when  appearing  in  the  text  for  the  first  time, 
in  the  special  vocabularies,  and  in  the  complete  vocabulary  at  the 
end  of  the  volume. 

b.  People  accustomed  to  speak  English  incline  to  mispronounce 
a,  i,  and  u  in  certain  combinations,  slackening  and  dulling  their  qual- 
ity by  analogy  with  English ;  this  tendency  is  apparent  in  a  when 
final,  as  in  Amfrica,  and  in  i  and  u  when  followed  by  two  or  more 
consonants,  or  by  1  or  r  when  accented  in  the  antepenult.  Thus 
i  in  virtu  'virtue,'  ninfa  'nymph,'  mirra  'myrrh,'  principe  'prince,' 
is  slackened  to  the  i  of  'virile';  u  in  singulto  'sob,'  Bulgaro 
'Bulgarian,'  giunto  'arrived,'  to  the  u  of  'pull.'  This  tendency 
should  be  avoided,  and  the  sound  of  these  vowels  kept  identical 
in  all  combinations. 

3.  Close  and  Open  E  and  0.  A  few  rules  apply  alike  to 
both,  but  there  are  numerous  special  rules  for  each. 

a.  Both  are  Close  when  followed  by  gn,  Im,  mm,  nn 
{except  d9nna  'woman,'  m9nna  *Lady,'  n9nno  *  grandfather'). 
Examples  :  pegno  'pledge,'  sogno  'dream,'  elmo  'helmet,'  olmo 
'elm,'  vendemmia  'vintage,'  sommo  'supreme,*  venni  'I  came.' 

2 


INTRODUCTION  §  3 

b.  Both  are  Open  — 

1.  When  followed  by  ns,  q,  str,  or  (nearly  always)  a  single 
consonant  +  two  vowels.     Examples  :    pf  nso  '  I    think,'   C9nsole 

*  consul,'  fquo  'equal,'  ngstro  'our,'  fin^stra  'window,'  Venfzia 
'Venice,'  commfdia  'comedy,'  purgat9rio  'purgatory,'  coUfgio 
'college.' 

2.  When  preceded  by  a  consonant  +  1:  glQbo  'globe,'  splfndido 

*  splendid.' 

3.  Contrary  to  rules,  in  so-called  '  learned '  words,  not  in  com- 
mon use  by  the  people  at  large :  prec9ce  '  precocious,'  testim9ne 
'witness,'  alfabfto  'alphabet,'  ditt9ngo  'diphthong,'  napole9nico 
'Napoleonic,'  rec9ndito  'recondite,'  Calif9rnia. 

c.  E  is  Close  {Lat.  i,  g,  oe  >  It.  e)  — 

1.  In  unaccented  syllables :  Petrucchio;  come 'like.' 

2.  In  monosyllables  and  oxy tones  ending  in  e:  merc^  'thanks 
to,'  re  'King.'  Exceptions:  chf  I  'what!'  and  other  interjections; 
I  'is,'  T%  (musical  note),  di|  'he  gave,'  pi|  'foot,'  and  foreign 
nouns  like  cafff  'coffee,'  No§  'Noah.' 

3.  In  the  endings  -efice,  -eggio,  -embro,  -esco  -a,  -ese,  -esimo  (in 
nouns),  -essa,  -eto  (in  collectives),  -etto  -a  (cf,  </,  6),  -evole,  -mente, 
and  -mento.  Examples  :  orefice  '  goldsmith,'  passeggio  '  walk,' 
membro  'member,'  Francesco  'Francis,'  mese  'month,'  battesimo 

*  baptism,'    contessa   '  countess,'    oliveto    '  olive-grove,'    allegretto 

*  cheerful,'  onorevole  'honorable,'  facilmente  'easily,'  appartamento 

*  apartment.' 

4.  Before  cc,  ce,  pp,  zz  (except  fcco  '  here  is,'  sp^hio  '  mirror,' 
vfcchio  'old,'  Giusfppe  'Joseph,'  s^ppe  'he  knew,'  m^zzo  'half,' 
p^zzo  '  piece,'  pr^zzo  '  price,'  and  a  few  others).  Examples  :  zecca 
'mint,'  orecchio  'ear,'  invece  'instead,'  ceppi  'fetters,'  ricchezza 
'richness.' 

5.  In  the  pronouns  me  'me,'  ne'of  it,'  te  'thee,'  glie  'to  her'; 
egli,  ei,  'he';  questo  'this,'  quello  'that';  stesso,  medfsimo,  'self.' 

3 


§3  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

6.  In  the  contracted  prepositions  nello  'in  the/  dello  'of  the,' 
etc.;  in  the  conjunctions  e  'and/  che  'that/  finclie  'as  long  as/ 
mentre  'while/  perche  'why/  se  'if/  etc.;  in  the  adverbs  dentro 
'within/  meno  'less/  spesso  'often';  in  the  numerals  tre  'three/ 
tredici  thirteen/  sedici  'sixteen/  venti  'twenty/  trenta  'thirty.' 

7.  In  verbs:  whenever  accented  in  the  infinitive,  past  descrip- 
tive, future,  past  absolute,  and  past  subjunctive ;  in  the  second 
plural  of  the  present  indicative  and  imperative;  in  the  second 
singular  and  first  and  second  plural  of  the  past  future,  and  in 
past  absolutes  and  past  participles  in  -esi  and  -eso  -a,  except  chifsi 
*I  asked'  and  its  compounds. 

d,  E  is  Open  {Lat.  6,  ae  >  //.  i§,  f)  — 

1.  When  preceded  by  i,  or  when  i  has  been  dropped  from 
before  it :  cifco  'blind,'  s^te  (for  sifte)  'you  are.' 

2.  In  the  endings  -fUo  -a  (except  capello  '  hair '  and  stella 
*star'),  -fma,  -^ndo  -a  (except  vendo  'I  sell,'  scendo  'I  descend'), 
-§nse,  -f nte  -0  -i  -a,  -If nto,  -^ nza,  -fro  (in  nouns  of  more  than  two 
syllables),  -fsimo  (in  numerals).  Examples  :  bfllo  '  beautiful,' 
problfma  'problem,'  bfnda  'band,'  estfnse  'of  Este,'  Benevfnto, 
vivfnte  'living,'  sonnolfnto  'somnolent,'  prudfnza  'prudence,'  im- 
pfro  'empire,'  ventfsimo  'twentieth.' 

3.  When  followed  by  a  single  vowel:  sfi  'six,'  ebrfo  'Hebrew.' 

4.  In  foreign  nouns,  when  final  and  accented :  Moisf  '  Moses,' 
tf  'tea.' 

5.  In  the  adverbs  bfne  'well,'  Cfrto  'surely,'  mfglio  'better,' 
pfggio  'worse,'  prfsso  'near,'  sfmpre  'always,'  vfrso  'towards,'  in 
the  preposition  sfnza  'without,'  and  in  the  numerals  tfrzo  'third,' 
sfsto  'sixth,'  sftte  'seven,'  sfttimo  'seventh.' 

6.  In  verbs :  in  past  absolutes  in  -ftti  and  past  participles  in 
-f nto  and  -ftto ;  in  present  participles  in  -f ndo  and  -f nte ;  in  the 
first  and  third  singular  and  third  plural  of  the  past  future;  in 
chifsi  and  its  compounds,  and  fbbi  'I  had,'  fbbe  'he  had,'  fbbero 


INTRODUCTION  §  3 

'they  had'  Examples:  credftti  'I  believed,'  attfnto  'attentive,' 
Iftto  'read,'  potrfi  'I  might,'  avrfbbe  'he  would  have,'  saprfbbero 
'they  would  know.' 

e.  The  following  are  a  few  of  the  words  which,  although 
spelled  alike,  differ  in  meaning  according  as  the  e  is  close 
or  open  : 

accetta  hatchet  acc?tta/n7»/  accettare  to  accept 

dieltefrom  dire  to  say  ^%\\Afrom  dare  to  give 

legge  law  Ifgge/r^;^  Ifggere  to  read 

mele  apples  m^le  (mi^le)  honey 

mente  memory  vci%Vi\A  from  mentire  to  lie 

"PQScaifrom  pescare  to  fish  p§sca  peach 

peste  footprints  p^ste  pest 

sete  thirst  s^te  (si?te)  you  are 

iBVDA/rom  temere  to  fear  t?ma  theme 

/  0  is  Close  {Lat.  u,  o  >  It.  o)  — 

1.  In  the  endings  -oce,  -doio,  -solo,  -toio,  -one  -o  -a,  -ore  -a, 
-080  (in  adjectives).  Examples  :  feroce  '  ferocious,'  corridoio 
'corridor,'  vassoio  'tray,'  scrittoio  'writing-desk,'  portone  'great 
gate,'  padrona  'mistress,'  imperatore  'emperor,'  stiratora  'laun- 
dress,' glorioso  'glorious,' sontuoso 'sumptuous.' 

2.  Before  r  +  1,  m,  n,  r,  s;  before  m  or  n  4-  any  consonant 
except  8 ;  and  before  1  -f  c,  f ,  p,  8,  or  t  {except  in  the  inflections 
of  C9gliere  '  to  pluck,'  8ci9gliere  '  to  loosen,'  t^gliere  '  to  take 
away,'  V9lgere  'to  turn':  C9lto,  8ci9l8i,  t9l8e,  V9lta,  etc.).  Exam- 
ples: orlo  'margin,'  forma  'form,'  forao  'oven,'  torre  'tower,' 
torso  'torso,'  Orsola  'Ursula,'  ombra  'shadow,'  compra  'buys,' 
gondola  'gondola,'  tronco  'trunk,'  contro  'against,'  monte  'moun- 
tain,' biondo  'blonde,'  bronzo  'bronze,'  oppongo  'I  oppose,'  80lco 
'furrow,'  dolce  'sweet,'  golfo  'gulf,'  volpe  'fox,'  colto  'cultivated.' 

3.  In  past  absolutes  and  past  participles  in  -08i,  -oso  (except 
espl9so,  espl9si),  -osto,  -otto.  Examples:  na8C08i  'I  hid,'  roso 
'gnawed,'  opposto  'opposed,'  rotto  'broken.' 

S 


§3  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

4.  In  the  pronouns  lo  'him,'  loro  'their,'  colore,  costoro,  'they,' 
ogni  'every';  in  the  numerals  dodici  'twelve,'  quattordici  'four- 
teen,'; in  molto  'much';  in  the  prepositions  and  conjunctions 
come  'like,'  dopo  'after,'  dove  'where,'  oltre  'beyond,'  sopra  'over,' 
sotto  'under';  in  the  negative  non ;  and  in  the  past  subjunctive  of 
fssere  'to  be':  fossi  'I  might  be'  etc. 

g.  O  is  Open  {Lat.  6,  au  >  It.  ug,  9)  — 

1.  After  u,  and  in  words  from  which  a  preceding  u  has  been 
dropped.    Examples:  fugco  'fire,'  n9vo  (for  nugvo)  'new.'  Cf./,  i. 

2.  In  monosyllables  and  oxytones  ending  in  0,  except  lo.  Ex- 
amples :  ci$  'that,'  and$  'he  went,'  far^  'I  shall  do,'  Pg  the  river, 
d9  '  I  give.' 

3.  When  followed  by  a  vowel  (except  in  noi,  vol,  and  the  endings 
-doio,  -soio,  -toio).  Examples  :  Savgia  '  Savoy,'  n^ia  '  annoyance," 
erge  '  hero,'  Balbga,  tugi  '  thy.' 

4.  Before  b,  d  (except  coda  'tail,'  dSdici  *  twelve,'  rodo  'I  gnaw'), 
f ,  ns,  -cchi-,  -rchi-.  Examples  :  rgba  '  things,'  ggbbo  '  hunchback,' 
brgdo  'broth,'  stgffa  'goods,'  respgnso  'response,'  gingcchio  'knee,' 
rimgrchio  'towing.' 

5.  When  accented  in  the  antepenult  before  a  single  t  or  s,  or 
any  double  consonant  except  m  or  r.  Examples:  esgtico  'exotic,' 
propgsito  'resolution,'  zgccolo  'wooden  shoe,'  sgffoca  'suffocates,' 
vigttola  'lane.' 

6.  In  the  endings  -gccio,  -9I0,  -gntico,  -910,  -gtto  (except  past 
participles,  cf.  /,  3),  -9220.  Examples  :  carrgccio  '  cart,'  Tirglo 
'Tyrol,'  anacregntico  'Anacreontic,'  igngto  'unknown,'  aquilgtto 
'eaglet,'  bgzzo  'sketch.' 

7.  In  the  adverbs  9ggi  'to-day,'  P9C0  'little,'  talvglta  'some- 
times,' tgsto  'soon,'  trgppo  *too  much';  the  conjunctions  per$ 
'however,'  perci^  'on  this  account,'  etc.;  the  negative  ng  'no'; 
and  the  numerals  ngno  'ninth,'  ngve  'nine.' 

8.  In  past  absolutes  in  -gssi,  -glsi.  Examples:  mgssi  'I 
moved,'  sciglse  'he  loosened.' 

6 


INTRODUCTION  §4 

h.  Some  of  the  words  which,  although  spelled  alike,  dif- 
fer in  meaning  according  as  the  o  is  close  or  open : 

Close  Open 

cggli  contracted  prep,  with  the  CQgliyh?^  CQgliere  to  pluck 

cpUo  co7itracted prep,  with  the  cqUo  neck 

iqsst  from  fssere  to  be  fgsse  ditches 

i()S2ifrom  rodere  to  gnaw  rgsa  rose 

tprre  tower  tgrre  (tggliere)  to  take  away 

tQsco  Tuscan  {poetic)  tgsco  poison 

vplgo  ignorant  class  yqlgo  from  vQlgere  to  turn 

volto  face  ifs^itofrom  vglgere  to  turn 

4.  Semivowels  and  Diphthongs.  Any  two  vowels  pro- 
nounced as  one  syllable  constitute  a  diphthong.  The  vow- 
els i  and  u  before  another  vowel  are  usually  pronounced 
respectively  y  and  w,  and  are  then  called  semivowels.  (See 
below,  4,  d) 

Diphthongs  are  of  two  kinds :  a.  Risi7ig  diphthongs,  in 
which  a  "weak*'  vowel  (i  or  u)  precedes  a  "strong"  vowel  (e, 
0,  or  a)  and  the  strong  is  stressed.  Examples  :  li^o  'joyous,' 
fu^co  'fire,'  guard!  'look,'  u^mo  'man,'  ieri  'yesterday,*  qui. 

h.  Falling  diphthongs,  in  which  a  strong  vowel  precedes 
a  weak,  and  still  receives  the  stress.  Examples  :  noi  'we,' 
poich^  'since,'  £ur9pa  'Europe,'  Laura. 

I.  When  two  weak  vowels  combine,  the  second  usually  takes 
the  stress.    Examples:  guida  *  guide,'  %\U  *down.' 

c.  Triphthongs.  A  strong  vowel  between  two  weak  ones, 
or  a  weak  between  two  strong,  may  form  a  triphthong,  which 
:s  really  two  diphthongs  in  one,  a  rising  and  a  falling. 
Examples  :  miei  *my,'  su^i  *his,'  studioi  'I  studied,'  be8tiu9la 
'small  creature.' 


§§4-5  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

I .  Four  or  even  five  vowels  may  be  contiguous,  and  pronounced 
together ;  but  usually  the  first  of  these  stands  after  g  or  c  merely 
to  give  it  a  special  sound  (cf.  5,  fl),  and  so  only  three,  or  four,  are 
heard.  Examples:  gioif Ho 'jewel,' merciaio 'dry-goods  merchant,' 
bagagliaio  'baggage  room,'  Acciaiuglo. 

d.  In  many  v^ords,  often  compound  or  derivative,  i  and  u 
are  not  semivowels  but  are  pronounced  as  a  separate  sylla- 
ble. In  such  case  the  combination  is  not  a  diphthong. 
Examples:  spi-a  *spy,'  spi-are  'to  spy,'  signori-a  'lordship,' 
obli-o  'oblivion,'  ri-fsco  'I  succeed,'  ri-uscire  'to  succeed,'  pi- 
U9I0  'rung,'  tri-^nfo  'triumph,'  vi-aggio  'journey,'  sontu-oso 
'sumptuous,'  ambigu-o  'ambiguous.' 

6.  Consonant  Sounds,  a.  The  following  consonant  sounds 
occur  in  Italian,  all  of  them  being  pronounced  more  explo- 
sively  than  in  English,  except  when  standing  alone  between 
two  vowels. 

b,  as  in  English. 

c,  cc,  (hard)  before  a,  0,  u,  =  k'.  caro  'dear,*  con  'with,'  cura  'care.* 
C,  cc,  (soft)  before  i  or  e,  —  ch:  Cina  ' China,'  Cfntro  'center.' 

ch  (used  only  before  i  or  e),  =  ^ :  chi  *  who.'* '  che  'which.' 
ci  before  another  vowel,  =  ch  :  ci§co  '  blind,'  ciuco  '  donkey,'  provinci^ 
'  province.' 

d,  t,  pronounced  with  tip  of  tongue  farther  forward  than  in  English. 

f,  as  in  English. 

g  (hard)  before  a,  0,  u,  =  '^o' :  B?lga  '  Belgian,'  gpla  '  throat,'  laguna 
'lagoon.' 

g,  gg,  (soft)  before  i  or  e,  =  '^in  ' :  g?nte  '  people,'  gita  '  excursion.' 
gh  (used  only  before  i  or  e),  =  '^o' :  aghi '  needles,'  botteghe  *  shops.' 
gi  before  another  vowel,  =  '^in' :  mangiare  'to  eat,'  Giovanni  'John,' 

giudice  'judge.' 

gl^before  i,  =  '  mi///on  ' :  gli  '  to  him,'  figli  '  sons.'   (But  cf.  6,  c.) 
<^glf' before  another  vowel,  =  '  mi///on ' :  glie '  to  her,'  Baglipni,  Pagliacci. 
gn,  =  '  canyon ' :  Bologna, 
h,  silent. 

8 


INTRODUCTION  §  5 

1  and  n,  pronounced  with  the  tongue  a  little  nearer  the  front  teeth 
than  in  English. 

m,  p,  q,  as  in  English. 

n  before  the  hard  sound  of  c  or  g  or  q,  =  ng\  franco  *  franc,'  fungo 
'mushroom,'  cinque  'five.' 

r,  always  rolled,  especially  when  double. 

s,  =  'jir':  se  'if,'  sprone  'spur.' 

8,  =  *roje':  r^sa  'rose,'  smeraldo  'emerald,'  sbaglio  'mistake.' 

sc  before  i  or  e,  =  sh  :  scimmia  '  monkey,'  conoscere  'to  be  acquainted 
with.' 

sci  before  another  vowel,  =  sh  :  scii  'shah,'  liscio  'smooth,'  sci^nza 
*  science.' 

V,  as  in  English. 

z,  =  ts\  conversazipne  'conversation,'  pazzo  'mad.' 

z,  =^  dz:  mfzzo  'half,'  dozzina  'dozen,'  z^ro  'zero.' 

h.  Double  Consonants.  Double  consonants  must  be  pro-^ 
nounced  double,  but  without  hiatus.  Few  single  words  (such 
as  unnatural,  tailless)  present  this  phenomenon  in  English ; 
but  it  is  easily  illustrated  by  combinations  of  two  words, 
such  as  mad  dog,  big  gun,  a  mile  long,  room-mate,  pine, 
knot,  etc.  Pronounce  on  this  principle  b^llo  *  beautiful,'  tfrra 
'earth,'  Boccaccio,  mgsso  'moved.' 

Note  that  cci  and  ggi  sound  not  as  c-ci  and  g-gi  but  as  t-ci  and  d-gi ; 
similarly  cc  and  gg  before  e.  Also  that  zz,  zz,  sound  like  z,  z,  not  doubled. 

This  distinction  between  the  single  and  double  consonant 
should  be  carefully  observed,  as  there  are  many  words  whose 
meaning,  when  spoken,  would  otherwise  be  mistaken.  The 
following  are  some  of  these : 

aringa  herring  arringa  harangue 

baco  silkworm  Bacco  Bacchus 

b?la  baa  bf  11a  beautiful 

.         camino  hearth  cammino  road 

canone  large  dog  cann9ne  cannon 


§5  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

casa  house  cassa  money-chest 

C9pia  plenty  cQppia  couple 

dita  fingers  ditta  firm 

Ino  I  no  inno  hymn 

Luca  Luke  Lucca  the  city 

nQno  ninth  nQnno  grandfather 

risa  laughter  rissa  quarrel 

sonetto  sonnet  sonnetto  nap 

Tracia  Thrace  traccia  trace 

vano  vain  vanno  they  go 

1.  Similarly,  1,  m,  n,  r,  in  an  accented  syllable  before  another 
consonant,  are  prolonged,  and  pronounced  as  if  double.  Examples  : 
altro  (all-tro)  'other,'  quando  (quann-do)  'when,'  Dante  (dann-te), 
novfmbre  (novemm-bre)  'November,'  pgrta  (porr-ta)  'door,'  anche 
(ang-che)  'also,'  pongo  (pong-go)  'I  put,'  stance  (stang-co)  'tired/ 
propinquo  (proping-quo)  'near/ 

2.  Special  Doublings.  A  word  ending  in  an  accented  vowel,  or 
a  monosyllable  ending  in  a  vowel,  has  in  pronunciation  the  effect 
of  doubling  the  initial  consonant  of  the  following  word.  Thus  Si, 
Signora  'Yes,  madam,'  is  actually  pronounced  sissignora ;  ma  chf  1 
'what ! '  is  pronounced  macch^ ;  va  bfne  'all  right,'  vabbfne ;  etc. 

a.  When  compounds  are  made  of  words  in  such  groups,  the 
spelling  follows  the  pronunciation.  Examples:  piii  'more'  and 
t9sto  'soon'  combine  in  piutt9sto  'rather';  chi  'who,'  che  'that,' 
and  sia  'be,'  in  chicchessia  'whoever.' 

h.  The  following  words,  although  not  accented  on  the  last 
syllable,  double  the  initial  consonant  of  the  following  word: 
come  'how,'  dove  'where,'  qualche  'some,'  sopra  'upon.'  Exam- 
ples: comemmai  (come  mai)  'how  in  the  world,'  dovewa?  (dove 
va)' where  does  he  go?'  qualchew9lta  (qualche  volta)  'sometimes,' 
and  the  compound  soprattutto  (sopra  tutto)  'above  all' 

c.  The  words  dio,  dfa,  dfi,  dfe,  'god'  and  *  goddess,'  singular 
and  plural,  double  their  initial  consonant  after  any  word  ending  in 
a  vowel,  as  bfUaddfa  (bella  dea)  '  beautiful  goddess.' 

lo 


INTRODUCTION  §  5 

d.  Doubling  does  not  take  place  where  there  is  any  break  in  the 
sense  between  the  two  words ;  after  a  conjunctive  pronoun  object 
(cf.  94),  because,  being  proclitic,  it  never  takes  the  accent ;  or  after 
a  word  ending  with  an  apostrophe,  as  sta*  quif to  '  be  quiet,'  unless 
the  succeeding  word  be  a  conjunctive  pronoun  (see  below). 

e.  But  when  the  conjunctive  object  follows  a  form  of  the  verb  which 
is  accented  on  the  last  syllable,  even  with  the  apostrophe,  its  initial 
consonant  is  doubled  (cf.  100,  ft).  Examples:  parl9mmi  (parld 
mi)  'he  spoke  to  me,'  dUle  (di»  le)  *tell  her,'  faUo  (fa»  lo)  'do  it.' 

c.  Gli  keeps  the  hard  sound  of  g  when  preceded  by  n,  as 
ganglio  'ganglion,'  and  in  the  words  geroglifico  'hieroglyphic,' 
glicerina  'glycerine,'  negligfnte  'negligent,'  and  a  few  others. 

</.  Tuscan  Peculiarities.  In  Tuscan  speech  a  single  c  or 
g  between  vowels  of  which  the  second  is  i  or  e,  whether 
in  the  same  word  or  in  a  group  of  two  words,  is  softened, 
the  c  almost  to  sh  and  the  g  almost  to  zh  (s  in  pleasure), 
A  slight  touch  of  this  softening  is  an  elegance  of  pronun- 
ciation anywhere  in  Italy.  Examples:  difci  'ten,'  bugia  'lie,' 
ricevere  'to  receive,'  diligfnte  'diligent,'  la  g^nte  *the  people,' 
bella  cittii  'beautiful  city.' 

Likewise,  a  slight  softening  and  aspirating  of  the  hard  c  and  g, 
and  of  q,  to  a  sound  approximating  the  German  ch,  is  acceptable 
to  the  Tuscans,  though  the  exaggeration  of  it  heard  among  the 
lower  classes  is  a  vulgarism.  This  "attenuation"  (which  should 
not  be  adopted  by  foreigners  without  great  discretion)  occurs 
either  at  the  beginning  or  in  the  middle  of  a  word,  if  the  conso- 
nant stands  between  two  vowels,  or  is  preceded  by  a  vowel  but 
followed  by  r  or  1.  Examples  :  nemico  'enemy,'  fquo  *  equal,'  lago 
*  lake,'  questa  C9sa  '  this  thing,'  democratico  '  democratic,*  agro  '  sour,' 
la  gl9tta  'glottis,'  una  classe  'a  class.' 

e.  S  and  Z,  As  with  the  close  and  open  vowels,  the 
rules  cannot  be  made  to  fit  all  cases ;   accordingly  in  this 


§5  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

book  s  =  ^  will  be  marked  (in  the  vocabularies  or  when  ap- 
pearing for  the  first  time  in  the  text)  s,  and  z  =  dz  will  be 
marked  z. 

1 .  S  is  pronounced  s  : 

a.  When  initial  before  a  vowel,  as  in  santo  'saint.' 

b.  When  double,  as  in  rosso  'red.' 

c.  When  followed  by  c,  f,  p,  q,  t.  Examples:  scala  'stair,' 
schfrzo  'joke,'  Schiavo  'Slav,'  sffra  'sphere,'  rispondere  'to  reply,' 
squilla  'bell,'  stanza  'room.' 

d.  In  words  ending  in  -eso  -a  -e  -i  or  -oso  -a  -e  -i,  with  the 
vowel  close  (of.  3,  c,  7  ;  /,  i,  3),  and  their  derivatives.  Examples  : 
atteso  'awaited,'  impresa  'enterprise,'  mese  'month,'  presi  'I  took,' 
generoso  'generous,'  generosita  'generosity,'  Tolosa  ' Toulouse,'  im- 
pose 'he  imposed,'  nascosi  'I  hid.' 

Exceptions  : 

cortese  kind  paese  country 

francese  French  palese  evident 

If  si  -o./rofn  Ifdere  {rare)  to  damage  tpso  shaven 
inarchese  marquis 

2.  S  is  pronounced  s : 

a.  When  followed  by  b,  d,  g,  1,  m,  n,  r,  or  v.  Examples: 
sbaglio  'mistake,'  sdegno  'indignation,'  sgradevole  'disagreeable,' 
dislacciare  'to  unlace,'  entusiasmo  'enthusiasm,'  snodare  'to  untie,' 
sradicare  'to  eradicate,'  svernare  'to  winter.' 

b.  Between  two  vowels,  as  in  asilo  'asylum,'  with  the  following 
important  exceptions : 

(i)  Cf.  I,  d,  above. 

(2)  When  a  prefix  is  set  before  a  word  normally  beginning  with  s. 
Examples  :  di-serrare  '  to  unlock '  (but  disereditare  '  to  disinherit '), 
pro-secuzione  'prosecution,'  pre-servare  ' to  preserve,'  ri-sorgimento 
'resurrection,'  trenta-sfi  'thirty-six.' 

12 


INTRODUCTION 


§6 


(3)  And  in  the  following  words : 

annusare  to  smell  at 

asino  donkey 

casa  house 

Chiusi  a  town 

chiusi  -0,  fro7n  chiudere  to  close 

CQsa  thing 

cosi  thus 

desidfrio  desire 

fuso  spindle 

3.  Z  is  pronounced  z  : 

a.  Before   ia,    ie,    io.     Examples 
'thank  you,'  nazione  *  nation.' 

b.  In  all  words  not  listed  under  4. 


parasito  parasite 

Pisa 

pis^llo  pea 

PQsa,  ripQso,  repose 

raso  satin 

Ricasoli 

rimasi  I  remained 

riso  laugh 

susina  plum 


pazzia   '  madness,'    grazie 


4.  Z  is  pronounced  z : 

a.  In  verbs  ending  in  -izzare,  of  more  than  four  syllables  in  the 
infinitive;  as  organizzare  'to  organize.' 

b.  When  single  between  two  vowels,  except  as  under  3,  a. 
Examples:  bizantino  'Byzantine,'  Donizetti,  ozQno  'ozone.' 

c.  When  initial,  except  in  the  following  words : 

zacchera  mud  stain  zazzera  long  hair        zittglla  spinster 

zaffo  bung  zecca  mint 

zampa  paw  zecchino  sequin 

zampillo  fountain  zeppa  wedge 

zampogna  reed  zimb^llo  decoy 

zana  basket  zingaro  gipsy 

zangola  charm  zinzino  sip 

zanna  tusk  zio  uncle 

zappa  mattock  zipolo  spigot 

zatta  raft  zirlare  to  whistle 


zitto  hush 
zgccolo  wooden  shoe 
zolfo  sulphur 
zQppo  lame 
zucca  squash 
zucchero  sugar 
zuffa  fray 
ziifolo  whistle 
zuppa  broth 


d.  In  the  following  words  : 
aguzzino  slave-driver         azzurro  blue 


amazzone  amazon 


brezza  breeze 
13 


brpnzo  bronze 
donz^lla  damsel 


§6 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


dozzina  dozen 
gazz^Ua  gazelle 
gazzetta  gazette 
ghiribizzo  caprice 
Lazzaro  Lazarus 
lazzaretto  pest-house 
lezzo  unpleasant  odor 
magazzino  storehouse 
marzQcco  lion  of  Florence 
mf zzo  half,  middle 
orizzonte  horizon 


qiio  barley 
pettegolezzo  gossip 
pranzo  dinner 
razzo  spoke 
ribrezzo  shiver 
romanzo  novel 
ronzo  buzzing 
scgrza  bark 
zanzara  mosquito 
zfnzero  ginger 


And  the  following  less  common  words,  and  others  still  more 
uncommon : 


arzigggolo 

bpnzo 

gazza 

olezzo 

suzzacchera 

arzillo 

bgzzima 

ghezzo 

pfnzolo 

suzzato 

azzimo 

bgzzo  ('  pool ') 

ghigzzo 

razza  (fish) 

SY?rza 

baraggzzo 

buzzo 

grezzo 

rezzo 

verzicare 

barzelletta 

calenzuQlo 

intirizzire 

IQZZO 

verzi^re 

bazza 

eczfma 

lacchezzo 

rubizzo 

zizzania 

bazzana 

Elzeviri 

lazzeru9la 

ruzzo 

zizzola 

bazzgffia 

frizzo 

lazzo 

scarza 

zgnzo 

belzuino 

fronzolo 

manzo 

sfarzo 

zQzza 

Belzebu 

ganzo 

Manzoni 

sgabuzzino 

bizza 

garza 

mgzzo  ('  hub ') 

sizza 

bizz^ffe 

garzo 

Nazzarfno 

sozzo 

A  few  words  differ  in  meaning  according  to  whether  the  z  is 
"voiced"  (z)  or  "unvoiced"  (z),  among  which  are  the  following: 


bgzzo  pool 
mf zzo  half,  middle 
mQzzo  hub 
razza  ray  (fish) 


bgzzo  sketch 
mezzo  wet,  ripe 
mozzo  cabin-boy 
razza  race,  lineage 


Note.  In  derived  words,  s  or  z  keeps  the  sound  that  it  has  in  the 
root  word,  even  contrary  to  rule.  Examples:  sorriso  'smile'  from 
riso,  ronzio  'continued  buzzing'  from  rpnzo. 


14 


INTRODUCTION  §§  6-10 

III.  Syllabification 
The  division  of  words  into  syllables  is  very  exact  in  Italian. 

6.  Nearly  all  syllables  must  end  in  a  vowel,  which  may 
be  preceded  by  as  many  as  three  consonants.  Examples  : 
ca-sa,  ta-sca,  a-vr^,  ri-u-sci-re,  e-strf-mo,  sbra-na-re,  e-spri-me, 
mi-glio,  va-ghe,  tg-sto,  Ti-sbe,  fi-nf-stra,  sfu-ma-re. 

7.  But  double  consonants,  and  groups  consisting  of  a 
liquid  (1,  r)  or  nasal  (m,  n)  followed  by  a  mute  (b,  c,  d,  g,  p,  t) 
or  spirant  (f,  v,  s,  z),  or  of  a  liquid  and  a  nasal,  are  divided. 
Examples  :  qua-dret-ti,  bfl-lo,  bus-se,  al-lac-ciati,  da-van-zale, 
8fn-to,  sel-cia-to,  rim-bom-bo,  mar-mo,  scen-do,  al-tro,  sin-cf-ro, 
Ar-no,  al-ma,  stir-pe,  or-go-glio. 

8.  Words  to  be  divided  at  the  end  of  a  line  of  print  or 
writing  must  be  divided  on  these  principles,  and  an  apostro- 
phe may  never  be  left  at  the  end  of  a  line.  For  example, 
tutt'  altro,  all'  Italia,  must  be  divided  tut-t*  altro,  al-l*  Italia. 

IV.  Tonic  Accent 

9.  The  distribution  of  the  tonic  accent,  or  the  question  on 
which  syllable  of  a  word  to  lay  the  stress,  is  one  of  the  chief 
difficulties  of  Italian  pronunciation  for  the  foreigner.  A  few 
rules  may  be  given,  but  there  are  many  exceptions.  The 
accentuation  of  a  word,  like  its  gender,  should  be  learned 
along  with  its  meaning.  In  this  book,  all  stressed  antepe- 
nults,  and  i  when  accented  in  the  final  groups  ia,  ie,  io,  ii, 
will  be  marked  with  a  macron,  thus :  gOndola,  SigHoria. 

10.  The  majority  of  Italian  words  are  accented  on  the 
penult,  and  are  called  par9le  piane :  vedo  'I  see,*  luna  'moon,* 
invece '  instead,' reverberare  '  reverberate,'  finirete 'you  will  finish.' 

IS 


§§  11-14  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

11.  Words  accented  on  the  last  syllable  are  called  par9le 
tronche  :  poiche  'since,'  virtii  'virtue,'  curiosity  'curiosity.' 

12.  Words  accented  on  the  antepenult  are  called  parQle 
sdrucciole  :  cflebre  'famous,'  ammirano  'they  admire,'  organiz- 
zano  'they  organize.' 

13.  Those  accented  on  the  syllable  preceding  the  antepe- 
nult are  called  bisdrucciole :  andandosene  'going  away,'  cflebrano 
'they  celebrate.' 

a.  Most  of  these  are  the  third  persons  plural  of  verbs  having 
more  than  three  syllables  in  the  infinitive,  of  which  the  first  per- 
son singular  is  accented  on  the  antepenult ;  but  it  is  not  easy  to  be 
sure  whether  the  first  person  singular  is  so  accented  in  a  given 
instance.  However,  if  the  verb  be  derived  from  a  noun,  the  first 
person  singular  will  follow  the  accent  of  the  noun ;  and  when  the 
infinitive  ends  in  -borare,  -iugare,  -iuvare,  -ipare,  -minare  preceded 
by  a  single  vowel,  or  -erare  preceded  by  a  liquid  -f  a  mute,  or  its 
ending  is  preceded  by  a  mute  +  a  liquid,  the  first  person  singular 
will  be  accented  on  the  antepenult.  But  if  the  infinitive  ending  is 
preceded  by  any  two  consonants  except  a  mute  and  a  liquid,  the 
first  person  singular  will  be  accented  on  the  penult.  Examples: 
inganno  'deceit,'  inganno  'I  deceive,'  ingannano  'they  deceive'; 
$pera  'work,'  9pero  'I  work,'  gperano  'they  work';  integrate  'to 
complete,'  integrano  'they  complete';  corroborare  'to  corroborate,' 
corr9boro;  eoniugare  'to  conjugate,'  coniugano;  dissipare  'to  dissi- 
pate,' dissipo;  seminare  'to  sow,'  sfmino;  illuminare  'to  illumi- 
nate,' illuminano;  camminare  'to  walk,'  cammino. 

Note.  In  verbs  of  Latin  derivation,  the  quantity  of  the  vowel  in 
the  penult  of  the  first  person  singular  of  the  root  verb  is  a  fairly  safe 
guide  to  the  tonic  accent  in  the  Italian  derivative.  Examples  :  indlco  > 
indico,  Imitor  >  imito  or  imito,  conjuro  >  congiuro. 

14.  The  syllable  that  receives  the  tonic  accent  is  usually  a  few 
tones  higher  in  pitch  than  the  others,  particularly  in  the  important 

i6 


INTRODUCTION 


14-15 


word  of  the  sentence.  The  failure  to  observe  this  difference  will 
make  even  well-pronounced  Italian  sound  foreign.  Sometimes, 
as  in  calling  to  a  distant  person,  the  tonic  accent  will  be  an  octave 

above : 

Su,  Corr^do, 
Vieni  a  veder  che  Dio  per  grazia  volse. 

(Oh,  Corrado,  come  and  see  what  God  has  willed !) 

In  exclamations,  or  in  questions  expressing  amazement  or  in- 
credulity, and  to  some  extent  in  all  speech,  the  whole  sentence 
takes  a  kind  of  tonic  accent.  This  falls  sometimes  on  the  first  syl- 
lable of  the  sentence.  A  comparison  of  the  sentences  ^^Are  you 
going  to-day  ?  "  "Are  you  going  to-day  ?  "  "Are  you  going  to- 
day ? "  will  illustrate  this,  but  in  Italian  such  variety  is  not  reserved 
exclusively  for  particular  rhetorical  effects.  English  as  spoken  in 
England  presents  a  closer  analogy  than  American  speech  to  this 
peculiarity  of  Italian. 

15.  Many  words  are  distinguished  in  meaning  from  their 
homonyms  only  by  the  tonic  accent.  The  following  are  a 
few  of  these : 


ancora  still 

capitano  captain 

com^lto  from  compire  to  fulfill 

Cupido  Cupid 

imparl /r^w  imparare  to  learn 

pagano  pagan 

perdono  pardon 

principi  beginnings,  principles 

nibino  ruby 


ancora  anchor 

capitano /r^/«  capitate  to  fall 

compito  task 

cupido  eager 

imparl  uneven 

•psigdino  from  pagare  to  pay 

p|rdono/r(j7/«  perdere  to  lose 

principi  princes 

mhivLofrom  rubare  to  rob 


17 


§  16-17 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


V.  Words  for  Practice  in  Pronunciation 


16.  For  practice  on  the  consonants : 


pazzo 

svisceratezza 

sgattigliare 

santo 

scianto 

ella 

lascio 

sguaglianza 

macchia 

Brescia 

sonno 

giungeva 

Gugli^lmo 

stortigliatura 

montagna 

glauche 

flgscio 

stagno 

sf9glia 

negli 

sragionevole 

staiuQlo 

scr9scio 

somigliano 

segni 

fatto 

bagagli 

9Cchio 

v^cchio 

malizia 

somiglianza 

chicche 

sgagliardare 

ingegno 

lu9ghi 

sci9gliere 

curiosa 

guai 

srugginire 

svolazzatoio 

alio 

lusinghi^ro 

ghiacciai 

sf^rza 

lasciare 

pi9ggia 

secco 

azzurro 

scricchiolare 

slanciamento 

sdraiare 

sfilacciatura 

sfregiare 

svogliatamente 

s^ccia 

accostandoglisi 

attesa 

Russia 

uscio 

sceglie 

secche 

sbirracchi9lo 

figli9ccia 

gloriose 

gin9cchi 

sloggiare 

secchita 

chiacchierare 

sfregacciare 

bianche 

smemorataccio 

sassoso 

tedeschi 

r9ccia 

stovigliaio 

villaggio 

dramma 

disse 

sci^nte 

svegliamento 

gl9ria 

scheggetta 

qualche 

scusa 

sghimb^scio 

smagio 

bisbiglio 

sguardo 

scrlcchiolano 

tacque 

stanche 

giudizio 

gigli 

z^ro 

vizio 

fertilizzare 

7.  For  practice  on  close  and  open  vowels 

: 

allora 

Londra 

Siena 

dolce 

forestiere 

settembre 

elemosina 

parente 

solenne 

senza 

bronzo 

borchia 

luogo 

legno 

togliere 

buono 

rotondo 

dormitorio 

Maremma 

moda 

membro 

deplora 

inchiostro 

donna 

fuori 

prendo 

Orfeo 

femmina 

milanese 

colmo 

contento 

insolenza 

i8 


INTRODUCTION  §§  17-20 


cielo 

nocciolo 

Raffaello 

Po 

silenzio 

piega 

ecco 

Pietro 

talvolta 

penitenza 

ponte 

Spezzia 

allegrezza 

faticoso 

chieso 

atteso 

VI.  Graphic  Accents 

18.  Three  graphic  accents  are  used  in  Italian;  the  grave 
(^),  the  most  common ;  the  circumflex  (^),  used  in  a  few 
cases;  and  the  acute  (^),  which  is  rare  in  Itahan. 

19.  The  grave  accent  is  used  — 

a.  On  final  accented  vowels  of  words  of  more  than  one  syllable. 
Examples:  virtu  'virtue,'  cittk  'city.' 

h.  On  final  vowels  of  monosyllables  to  indicate  a  diphthong. 
ExAxMPLES:  pu9  'he  can,'  piu  'more.' 

c.  On  the  truncated  forms  (cf.  31,  a ;  48,  c)  of  the  poetic  past 
absolutes  in  -aro,  -iro,  -ero,  to  distinguish  them  from  the  truncated 
infinitives  of  the  same  verbs.  Thus,  am^r  =  amaro  (amarono), 
not  amare. 

d.  On  monosyllables  that  have  been  combined  with  some  other 
word  or  prefix,  in  order  to  keep  the  tonic  accent  in  the  same  place. 
Examples:  fa  'makes,'  rifk  'remakes';  re  *king,'  vicer^  'viceroy.' 

e.  On  certain  monosyllables  in  common  use,  to  distinguish  them 
from  others  identical  in  spelling  but  of  different  meaning. 

Ik,  li,  there 
nh  neither 
s^  himself 
si  so,  yes 
t|  tea 

20.  The  circumflex  is  used  on  certain  shortened  forms 
such  as  torre  (t9gliere)  'to  take  away,'  and  often  over  final  i 
when  it  represents  ii.  Example:  desidfrio  'desire,'//,  desi- 
dfrt  (vn-itten  also  desid^rii,  desid^rj). 

19 


Che  that 

ch^  because 

la,  li,  articles 

da  from 

da  gives 

ne  of  it,  of  them 

di  of 

di  day 

se  if 

e  and 

lis 

si  himself 

fe'  he  did 

f^  faith 

te  thee 

§§  21-24  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

21.  The  acute  accent  is  used  — 

a.  To  indicate  that  a  certain  word  with  close  e  or  o  is  meant, 
and  not  its  homonym  with  open  vowel;  as  t6sco,  indicating  the 
poetic  word  for  Tuscan,  instead  of  tgsco  'poison.' 

6.  In  poetry,  when  the  tonic  accent  is  altered  to  suit  the  rhythm. 

c.  In  dictionaries  it  serves  to  indicate  the  close  vowels,  and  the 
grave  the  open. 

d.  The  tendency  is  increasing  among  grammarians  to  encour- 
age the  use  of  the  acute  accent  over  final  i  and  u,  and  final  close 
e  and  o,  when  these  are  accented. 

VII.  Elision 

22.  Elision  is  the  omission  of  the  final  vowel  of  one 
word  before  the  initial  vowel  of  the  following  word.  It 
takes  place  only  between  two  words  closely  bound  together  in 
sense,  as  verb  and  subject  or  object,  preposition  and  object, 
adjective  or  article  and  noun ;  and  any  pause  or  punctuation 
mark  prevents  its  use.  It  is  indicated  by  the  apostrophe. 
Examples  :  r  ugmo  'the  man,'  neir  aria  *in  the  air,'  tutt'  altro 
(cf.  8).  It  may  occur  in  the  following  cases,  but  is  most 
usual  with  the  articles. 

23.  In  the  articles  lo,  la,  gli,  le,  alone  or  when  contracted 
with  prepositions  (cf,  75).  Gli  is  elided  only  before  i;  le 
only  before  e,  and  then  not  if  the  word  is  unchanged  in  the 
plural.  Examples:  1(o)' amico  'the  friend,'  1(a)' anima  'the 
soul,'  dell(o)'  amore  'of  love,'  all(a)' arnica  'to  the  friend*  (f.), 
1(e)'  frbe  'the  herbs,'  gl(i)'  Inglesi  'the  English,'  le  etk  'the 
ages,*  gli  ugmini  'the  men.' 

24.  In  the  singular  feminine  form  of  the  indefinite  article: 
uii(a)'  ora  'an  hour.' 

20 


INTRODUCTION  §§  25-28 

25.  In  the  pronoun  objects  mi,  ti,  si,  vi,  ne,  lo ;  and  ci 
before  1  or  e.  Examples  :  m'  abltuo  '  I  accustom  myself,* 
t'  insegna  *he  teaches  thee,'  s'  intfnde  'that  is  understood,* 
n' ha  parlato  *he  has  spoken  of  it,'  1'  aspftto  *I  await  him,* 
c'  imita  'he  imitates  us,'  c'  frano  'there  were.' 

26.  In  the  pronouns  ogni,  questo,  quelle,  codes  to,  altro,  nulla, 
ni^nte  ;  the  adverbs  p9co,  tanto,  quanto  ;  the  prepositions  di,  da, 
oltre,  prfsso,  and  sfnza,  in  certain  adverbial  expressions ;  the 
adjectives  santo,  bfllo,  and  bu9no,  when  immediately  followed 
by  their  substantives ;  the  conjunctions  anche,  che,  dove,  onde, 
come,  and  se  before  e ;  and  the  numerals  secondo,  tfrzo,  quarto, 
quattro,  cinque,  dfcimo,  etc.,  venti,  trenta,  c^nto,  mille,  mfzzo. 

Examples  :  ogn'  altro  '  every  other,'  quest'  animale  '  this  animal,* 
quell*  amico  *that  friend,'  codest' U9mo  *that  man,*  altr*  ifri  'day 
before  yesterday,'  null'  U9mo  '  no  man,'  nif nt'  affatto  '  nothing  at 
all,'  p9c'  altro  'little  else,'  tant'  6  'so  it  is,'  quant'  9ro  'how  much 
gold,'  tazza  d(i)'  acqua  '  cup  of  water,'  oltr'  Amo  '  beyond  the  Amo,' 
prfss'  a  P9C0  'nearabout,'  sfnz'  altro  'without  delay,'  d(a)' allora 
'  from  then,'  Sant'  Orsola  '  Saint  Ursula,'  bfU'  aria  '  beautiful  air,' 
bu9n'anima  'good  soul,'  dov'^  'where  is  itP'anch'io  'I  too,' com' 6 
'how  is  it?'  ond'  and$  'whence  he  went,'  ch'  hanno  'that  they  have,* 
s'  I  vero  'if  it  is  true,'  second'  anno  ' second  year,'  tfrz'  ultimo  '  third 
from  the  last,'  quattr'  arance  '  four  oranges,'  vent'  anni  '  twenty 
years,'  mill'  anni  'a  thousand  years,'  mfzz'  ora  'a  half-hour.' 

27.  In  the  first  and  third  persons  singular  of  verbs  before 
a  pronoun  subject,  and  in  the  third  person  singular  of  the 
past  future  before  a  word  beginning  with  e.  Examples  : 
diss'  io  'said  I,'  die'  egli  'says  he,'  potrfbb'  fssere  'it  might  be.' 

28.  In  the  following  contracted  forms : 

9?  for  bX  to  the  m9'^rm9do  manner 

h%*  for  b^ne  well  n^*  for  nei  in  the 

21 


§§28-30  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

CQ*/orcQi  with  the  pe'y^r  pei  for  the 

da'/^rdai  from  the         .  pQ*/^rp9co  little 

de'/^rdei  of  the  prg'/^rprQde  brave 

di'y»rdici  say  que' >r  quel  those 

e*/orei  he  sn*  for  sui  on  the 

fe'>rfece  hedid  t§»>rti§ni  hold 

fra'y^rfrai  among  the  tQ*  for  tqgli  takeaway 

gna'yyr  guarda  look  tra.*  for  tmi  among  the 

ma'y27rmali  evils  ve'y^rvedi  see 

m?»yijrm?glio  better  yq* for YQglio  I  will 

Note.  All  these  contractions  are  used  in  speech  with  the  greatest 
frequency,  but  their  use  in  the  written  language  depends  upon  the 
discretion  and  taste  of  the  author.  The  forms  be',  di',  gua',  te',  are 
Tuscan  popular  forms;  ma',  me',  pro',  are  poetic  forms;  the  others 
are  admissible  in  prose. 


VIII.    Apocopation 

29.  Apocopation  (troncamento)  is  the  dropping  of  the  final 
unaccented  vowel  or  sometimes  syllable  of  a  word  under  cer- 
tain conditions,  as  amor  for  amore,  val  for  valle,  caval  for  cavallo. 

30.  It  takes  place  only  under  the  following  conditions : 

a.  In  a  word  of  more  than  one  syllable,  not  accented  on  the  last. 

b.  When  the  final  vowel  (as  a  rule  not  a,  of.  32)  is  immediately 
preceded  by  1,  n,  r,  rarely  m. 

c.  When  the  word  to  be  apocopated  is  not  followed  by  one  begin- 
ning with  two  consonants  or  (generally  speaking)  a  vowel,  and  is 
not  (in  prose)  a  plural  substantive. 

d.  When  the  two  words  are  closely  bound  together  without 
pause  or  break  in  the  sense.  Examples  :  andar(e)  via  '  to  go  away,* 
n9bil(e)  d9nna  *  noble  lady,'  bfn(e)  fatto  *well  done,'  ci  8iam(o) 
tutti  'we  are  all  here,'  caval(lo)  di  battaglia  *war  horse,'  un(o) 
bfl(lo)  giorno  'a  fine  day.' 

22 


INTRODUCTION  §§  31-32 

31.  Words  regularly  apocopated  are  — 

a.  Those  ending  in  -le,  -lo,  -llo,  -ano,  -eno,  -ino,  -ono,  -nno, 
-ne,  -re,  -^ro.  Examples:  cattedral(e)  'cathedral,'  vu9l(e)  'he  will,' 
figliu9l(o)  'son,'  ca8tfl(lo)  'castle,'  man(o)  'hand,'  fren(o)  'check,' 
fin(o)  'till,'  fan(no)  'they  do,'  diran(no)  'they  will  say,'  bu9n(o) 
'good,'  vi9n(e)  'comes,'  mar(e)  'sea,'  par(e)  'appears,'  pensi9r(o) 
'thought.' 

b.  The  words  U9m(o)  'man,'  in8i9m(e)  'together,'  un(o)  'one' 
and  its  compounds,  doinan(i)  'to-morrow/  fu9r(i)  'outside,'  i9r(i) 
'yesterday,'  p9ver(o)  (only  before  a  vowel)  'poor,'  par(o)  'pair'; 
the  first  person  plural  of  verbs  in  -mo  (not  -mmo),  as  sarem  'we 
shall  be,'  andavam  'we  were  going';  and  the  third  person  plural 
in  -ro,  as  8fpper(o)  'they  knew,'  potrfbber(o)  'they  might,'  f688er(o) 
'they  would  be.' 

c.  Titles  before  proper  names,  or  one  proper  name  before 
another.  Examples:  dottor(e)  Ant9nio  'Doctor  Anthony,'  8i- 
gnor(e)  Bondi  '  Mr.  Bondi,'  Giovan(iii)  Battista  '  John  the  Baptist,' 
Val(le)  di  Chiana  'Valley  of  the  Chiana,'  Ant9n(io)  Piftro  'Anthony 
Peter,'  Pi9r(o)  Ant9nio  'Peter  Anthony.' 

d.  In  poetry  :  plurals  in  -ni,  -ri ;  nouns  in  -iro,  -oro,  nouns  and 
adjectives  in  -aro,  -uro,  and  adjectives  in  -ero;  parqle  sdrucciole 
in  -re;  and  van(o)  'vain,'  8an(o)  'sane,'  ver(o)  'true,'  color(o), 
costor(o),  'those.'  Examples:  can(i)  'dogs,'  pen8i9r(i)  'thoughts,' 
acciar(o)  ' steel,'  8icur(o)  'sure,'  dur(o)  'hard,'  gir(o)  'circle,'  lavor(o) 
'labor,'  fi9r(o)  'proud.' 

32.  Irregular  apocopations  are  or  (a)  'hour'  and  its  com- 
pounds, 8U9r(a)  'Sister'  (a  nun),  fra(te)  'Brother'  (a  friar), 
801(a)  'only,'  8an(to)  'Saint,'  and  gran(de)  'large'  (of.  85).  Ex- 
amples :  or  ora  'just  now,'  finor  'until  now,'  8U9r  Maria  'Sister 
Mary,'  fra  Gir^lamo  'Brother  Jerome,'  una  sol  V9lta  'just 
once,'  8an  Luigi  'Saint  Louis,'  gran  caso  'important  circum- 
stance.' 

23 


§§33-37  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

33.  Apocopation  does  not  affect  the  tonic  accent.  As  it 
may  be  used  in  poetry  before  a  pause  or  at  the  end  of  a 
line,  apocopation  provides  "masculine  endings"  which  other- 
wise could  scarcely  occur  in  Italian  verse. 

IX.  Variant  Forms  of  Words 

34.  For  a  good  many  words  there  are  two  different, 
equally  correct  forms,  though  one  will  be  generally  pre- 
ferred, and  the  other  often  confined  in  its  use  to  Tuscany.. 
Compare  English  crawfish^  crayfish  ;  toward,  towards ;  spe- 
cialy  especial.    Among  such  variable  words  are  — 

altfro,  altifro,  'haughty';  angelo,  angiolo,  *  angel';  castigo,  gas- 
tigo,  *  punishment';  ceppo,  cippo,  'log';  cili^gia,  cirifgia,  'cherry'; 
crgnaca,  cr9nica,  'chronicle';  decfmbre,  dicfmbre,  'December'; 
denaro,  danaro,  'money';  domani,  dimani,  'to-morrow';  foresti^re, 
foresti^ro,  'foreigner';  native,  natio,  'native';  n§rvo,  nfrbo,  'nerve'; 
nugvo,  n9vo,  'new';  Pancrazio,  Brancazio,  'Pancras';  pellegrino, 
peregrine,  'pilgrim';  rinunziare,  rinunciare,  'to  renounce';  riva, 
ripa,  *bank';  scirgcco,  sirgcco,  'sirocco.' 

In  addition  to  such  sporadic  divergences,  there  are  certain 
principles  of  variation,  as  follows : 

35.  Apheresis.  The  first  syllable  is  sometimes  dropped, 
as  in  evangflo,  vangflo,  *  gospel';  arfna,  rfna,  'sand.' 

36.  Syncope.  The  middle  syllable  is  sometimes  dropped. 
Examples  :  $pera,  9pra,  '  work ' ;  anderg,  andrj,  '  I  shall  go  ^ ; 
t9gliere,  t9rre,  *to  take  away';  onorevole,  orrevole,  'honorable.* 

37.  Apocope.  The  last  syllable  may  be  dropped,  as  in 
fede,  f^,  *  faith';  pi^de,  pif,  'foot';  umiltade,  umiltli,  'humility'; 
su  and  gid  'up'  and  'down'  for  suso  and  giuso  (now  current 

24 


INTRODUCTION  §§  37-42 

only  in  poetry) ;  and  (in  poetry  only)  amaro,  finiro,  temero  (cf . 
48,  c),  etc.,  for  amarono,  finirono,  temerono,  'they  loved,'  'they 
finished,'  'they  feared.' 

38.  Prefixion  of  /.  When  a  word  ending  in  a  consonant  is 
followed  by  one  beginning  with  s  impure  (cf.  59,  a,  i),  an  i  is 
prefixed  to  the  latter  to  prevent  the  juxtaposition  of  too  many 
consonants.  This  is  more  common  in  speaking  than  in  writ- 
ing.  Examples  :  in  i-stiva  'in  the  hold,'  per  i-sch^rzo  'in  jest.' 

39.  Conversely,  the  words  a  'to,'  e  'and,'  o  'or,'  and  su 
'on,'  may  become  respectively  ad,  ed,  od,  sur  before  a  word 
beginning  with  a  vowel,  especially  if  it  is  the  same  one. 
Examples:  ad  es^mpio  'for  example,'  ad  Anna  'to  Anna,' 
ed  fbbe  'and  he  had,'  o  f^rro  od  gro  'either  iron  or  gold,'  sur 
una  tavola  'on  a  table.* 

40.  Metathesis.  Letters  may  be  reversed,  as  in  sucido  for 
sudicio  'dirty.' 

X.  Capitalization 

41.  Italian  capitalization  is  in  general  governed  according 
to  the  same  rules  as  English,  but  presents  the  following 
differences  of  usage : 

42.  Capitals  are  usually  omitted,  contrary  to  English  usage, 

a.  From  all  but  the  first  word  of  book  titles,  unless  the  title 
consist  of  but  one  word  and  that  a  noun.  Examples  :  Alcune  re- 
lazioni  del  F9SC0I0  con  la  letteratura  tedesca  *  Certain  Relations 
between  Foscolo  and  German  Literature,'  II  Santo  *The  Saint.' 

h.  From  proper  adjectives,  sometimes  even  used  substantively. 
Examples  :  11  p^polo  toscano  '  the  Tuscan  people,'  le  gufrre  napo- 
le9niche  '  the  Napoleonic  wars,'  il  linguaggio  manzoniano  '  the  lan- 
guage of  Manz9ni,'  i  Tedeschi '  the  Germans.' 

25 


§§42-47  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

c.  From  titles,  when  followed  by  a  proper  name.  Examples  : 
don  Carlo  '  Don  Carlos,'  dottor  Antgnio  '  Doctor  Anthony,'  il  prin- 
cipe  Umbfrto  'Prince  Humbert,'  il  signor  Martini  'Mr.  Martini.' 

d.  From  the  names  of  the  days  and  the  months.  Examples  : 
venerdi  'Friday,'  luglio  'July.' 

e.  In  most  contemporary  poetry,  from  the  first  word  of  each 
line,  unless  the  rules  of  prose  would  call  for  it. 

Note.  Usage  in  Italian  books  will  often  be  found  to  vary  consider- 
ably from  these  rules,  which  have,  however,  the  support  of  the  best 
authorities. 

43.  Capitals  are  used,  though  not  invariably,  for  the  more 
formal  pronoun  of  address  which  is  borrowed  from  the  third 
person  (cf.  65,  a).  Examples  :  L§i,  Ella,  Loro  'you'  (singular 
and  plural),  Suo  'your,'  Le  'to  you.' 

XI.  Archaic  and  Poetic  Forms' 

44.  In  Italian  poetry  and  old  Italian  occur  many  forms 
unfamiliar  to  the  student  of  modern  Italian  prose.  The 
following  are  the  most  important  of  such  variations  : 

45.  In  general,  open  e  and  o  often  replace  respectively  ie 
and  uo  :  t§n  for  tif ne,  Igco  for  luggo,  etc. ;  and  e  is  often  added 
to  a  final  vowel,  as  in  |e  for  |,  tue  for  tu,  etc. 

46.  Nouns.  Nouns  in  -alio,  -§llo,  often  form  their  plural 
in  -ai,  -agli,  -fi,  -§gli :  cavallo,  pi.  cavai,  cavagli ;  fratfUo,  // 
fratfi,  fratfgli. 

47.  Pronouns.  The  forms  mel,  tel,  sel,  etc.  are  very  com. 
mon  substitutes  for  me  lo,  te  lo,  se  lo,  etc. ;  men,  ten,  etc.,  foi 
me  ne,  te  ne,  etc.;  and  nol  for  non  I9. 

26 


INTRODUCTION  §§  48-49 

48.  Verb-Endings  in  Particular  Tenses. 

a.  Present  Indicative :  in  the  first  person  plural,  -i^mo,  -fmo, 
-imo,  for  -iamo. 

h.  Past  Descriptive :  in  the  first  and  third  persons  singular  of 
the  second  and  third  conjugations,  v  is  often  dropped :  temea  for 
temeva,  seguia  for  seguiva. 

c.  Past  Absolute:  in  the  third  singular,  temeo,  finio,  for  tem^, 
fini;  in  the  third  plural,  trovaro,  trovar,  trovamo,  trovorono, 
trovonno,  for  trovarono ;  colpiro,  colpir,  colpinno,  for  colpirono ; 
temero,  temer,  temenno,  for  temerono. 

d.  Future :  in  the  first  person  singular,  -aggio,  -abbo,  for  -o ; 
in  the  third  plural,  -aggiono,  -abbono,  for  -anno:  troveraggio, 
troverabbo,  for  trover^ ;  finiraggiono,  finirabbono,  for  finiranno,  etc. 

e.  Past  Future  :  in  the  first  and  third  singular,  -ia  for  -f i,  -§bbe  ; 
troveria  for  troverfi,  troverfbbe,  etc. ;  in  the  third  plural,  -iano, 
-fbbono,  for  -fbbero:  finiriano,  finirfbbono,  for  finirfbbero,  etc. 

/.  Present  Subjunctive :  in  the  singular,  e  for  i  in  the  first  con- 
jugation, i  for  a  in  the  second  and  third :  trgve,  finischi,  temi,  for 
trgvi,  finisca,  tema. 

g.  Past  Subjunctive:  in  the  first  person  singular,  e  for  i: 
trovasse,  finisse,  temesse,  for  trovassi,  finissi,  temessi.  In  the  third 
plural,  -assino,  -asseno,  -assono,  for  -assero ;  -essino,  -fsseno,  -essono, 
for  -essero  ;  and  -issino,  -isseno,  -issono  for  -issero  :  trovassino  etc., 
finissino  etc.,  temessino  etc. 

h.  Past  Participle  :  in  the  first  conjugation  -at-  is  omitted,  leav- 
ing such  forms  as  acconcio  for  acconciato,  carico  for  caricato. 

49.  Special  Forms  of  Particular  Verbs : 

a.  Avere :  aggio,  abbo,  avo,  aio,  for  h^ ;  aggia,  aia,  for  abbia ; 
fi,  fbbimo,  for  ^bbi,  avemmo ;  ar$  etc.  for  avr$  etc.,  and  similar 
forms  in  the  conditional. 

h.  Dare  ;  di|  for  difde ;  dif r,  dif ro,  difrono,  for  difdero. 

27 


§§49-51  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

c.  Dovere :  present  indicative  dfo,  d§i,  dfe,  dovemo,  dovete,  df ono 
or  d§nno. 

d.  Essere:  eramo,  erate,  for  eravamo,  eravate;  sfm,  sfte,  for 
siamo,  sifte ;  fnno,  §n,  for  sono  (pi);  sie,  sieno,  for  sia,  siano ;  u  for 
0  in  the  past  absolute  and  past  subjunctive ;  furo,  foro,  for  furono, 
and  fue  for  fu ;  fia,  fiano  or  fieno,  for  sara,  saranno ;  fora,  forano, 
for  sar§i,  sarfbbe,  sarf bbero  ;  s^ndo  for  essf ndc ;  suto,  essuto,  issuto, 
for  stato. 

e.  Fare :  faci,  face,  for  fai,  fa ;  a  past  descriptive  fea  etc. ;  a 
past  absolute  fei,  festi,  f^  or  feo,  femmo,  feste,  ferono,  fer,  fenno. 

/.  Potere :  a  past  future  poria  etc. ;  pu^te,  p9nno,  for  pu?,  p^ssono. 

g.  Volere :  vu9gli  or  vu^li  for  vugi ;  V9lsi,  V9lse,  v9l8ero,  for 
v9lli,  voile,  v9llero. 

XII.  Versification 

50.  Italian  versification  is  reckoned  not  in  feet  but  in 
syllables.  These  are  grouped  and  divided  by  the  ''  rhyth- 
mic accent,"  v^hich  falls  at  least  twice  in  every  line,  on  the 
penultimate  syllable  and  at  least  one  other. 

Nel  m^zzo  del  cammin  di  n9Stra  vita. 

51.  An  Italian  verse  or  line,  like  an  Italian  word,  is  either 
piano,  trgnco,  or  sdrucciolo,  according  as  the  closing  accent 
falls  on  the  penultimate,  ultimate,  or  antepenultimate  syllable. 
But  all  lines  are  counted  as  piani,  since  if  represented  in 
musical  notation  the  time  would  be  the  same ;  that  is,  the 
accented  ultimate  of  a  verso  trqnco  would  equal  the  two 
syllables  of  a  v^rso  piano,  while  the  last  two  short  syllables 
of  a  verso  sdrucciolo  would  be  no  longer  than  the  final  un- 
accented one  of  a  verso  piano.  For  example,  in  the  following 
stanza  each  line  is  counted  as  having  seven  syllables : 

28 


INTRODUCTION  §§  51-54 

Tu  che,  da  tanti  sf  coli, 
S9ffri,  combatti  e  pr?ghi ; 
Che  le  tue  t^nde  spi^ghi 
Dair  uno  all'  altro  mar. 

52.  Elision  always  occurs  when  a  word  ending  in  a  vowel  is 
followed  by  a  word  beginning  with  one,  and  the  two  syllables 
are  counted,  not  pronounced,  as  one.  There  are  two  in  the 
above  selection,  combattz  e  and  uno  all',  and  it  would  be  difficult 
to  find  a  stanza  in  which  there  was  no  example  of  elision. 

53.  Diphthongs  are  counted  as  two  syllables  at  the  end  of 
a  verse,  and  usually  as  one  in  the  middle.  But  those  which 
begin  with  i  are  often,  and  others  sometimes,  counted  as  two 
in  the  middle  of  a  verse,  and  are  then  marked  with  a  diaeresis. 

Di  tal  sup^rbia  qui  si  paga  il  fio. 
Se  bugna  orazion  lui  non  aita. 

a.  Triphthongs  are  counted  usually  as  one  syllable. 
E  come  gia  s^i  de'  mi§i  rari  amici. 

54.  Number  of  Syllables.  Italian  verses  are  classified  as 
either  even-numbered  (parisillabi)  or  odd-numbered  (imparisil- 
labi)  according  as  the  number  of  syllables  is  even  or  odd. 
The  parisillabi  are  often  tronchi  but  rarely  sdruccioli ;  the 
imparisillabi  may  be  either.   There  are  four  varieties  of  each  : 

a.  Parisillabi: 

The  four-syllabled  verse  (quaternario)  and  the  eight-syllabled 
(ottonario)  give  the  effect  of  trochaic  meter. 

Bf  n  ^  ver,  quando  |  giocpndo 

Ride  il  mpndo, 

Ride  il  cif  1  quando  "k  gioioso ; 
B?n  \  ver ;  ma  ngn  san  pgi 

Cpme  vpi 

Fare  un  riso  grazipso. 

29 


§54  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

1 .  The  six-syllabled  verse  (senario)  is  amphibrachic : 

Stringiamci  a  coorte, 
Siam  pronti  alia  mgrte : 
Italia  chiam^ ! 

2.  The  ten-syllabled  verse  (decasillabo)  is  anapaestic: 

Oh  gi ornate  del  ngstro  riscatto ! 
Oh  dol^nte  per  sfmpre  colui 
Che  da  lunge,  dal  labbro  d'  altrui, 
Come  un  ugmo  strani^ro,  le  udr^. 

b.  Imparisillabi : 

1 .  The  seven-syllabled  (settenario)  and  eleven-syllabled  (endeca- 
sillabo)  verses  are  the  most  employed  of  all :  the  latter  is  iambic 
in  effect;  the  former,  either  iambic  or  anapaestic.  The  two  are 
often  combined : 

Non  ^  questo  un  morire, 

Immortal  Margherita, 

Ma  un  passar  anzi  t§mpo  a  V  altra  vita. 

Benigne  stelle  che  compagne  ferse 
Al  fortunato  fianco 
Quando  '1  bel  parto  gili  nel  mondo  sc6rse ! 

2.  The  endecasillabo,  or  heroic  measure  (vfrso  er9ico),  when 
tronco,  corresponds  exactly  to  a  line  of  English  blank  verse ;  when 
normally J>mno,  to  one  of  feminine  ending.   It  may  also  be  sdrucciolo. 

O  fQlle  Aragne,  si  vedea  io  te 

Gik  m^zza  aragna,  trista  in  su  gli  stracci 
Deir  9pera  che  mal  per  te  si  fe'. 

Innanzi  assai  ch'  all'  gpra  inconsumabile 
Fosse  la  g§nte  di  Nembrot  att^nta. 

3.  The  five-syllabled  verse  (quinario),  when  accented  on  the 
first  syllable,  gives  the  effect  of  a  dactyl  plus  a  spondee;  when 

30 


INTRODUCTION  §§  54-57 

accented  on  the  second,  of  an  iamb  plus  an  amphibrach.    It  is 
sometimes  combined  with  the  endecasillabo. 

Oh  beir  andare 
Per  barca  in  mare 
Vf  rso  la  sera 
Di  primavf  ra ! 

Chi^ser  merce  de  1'  alta  st?rpe  e  de  la 
Gloria  di  Roma. 

4.  The  nine-syllabled  verse  (novenario)  is  variously  accented, 
but  never  very  effective  or  musical. 

Fu  spQsa,  fu  madre  felice. 
Quel  rubino  ch'  \  il  mio  tesgro. 
A  duro  stral  di  ria  ventura. 

55.  Rhyme.  The  rhyme-word  is  piano  or  tronco,  rarely 
sdrucciolo.  Close  and  open  vowels  may  rhyme  with  each 
other,  and  the  voiced  and  unvoiced  s  and  s ;  but  not  z  and 
z.  The  same  word  may  be  used  as  rhyme-word,  if  taken  in 
a  different  meaning.  Thus  chifsa  may  rhyme  with  impresa, 
r9sa  with  gloriosa,  pure  'pure'  with  pure  'however,'  but  not 
mfzza  with  tenerezza. 

56.  Blank  Verse  is  written  in  unrhymed  endecasillabiy 
and  is  called  vfrso  sci9lto. 

57.  Strophes.  Strophes  are  formed  of  lines  combined  in 
a  certain  pattern.  They  are  often  grouped  in  pairs,  their 
final  verses  rhyming  on  a  word  that  is  tronco,  which  makes  a 
ringing  sonorous  effect  among  the  more  numerous  feminine 
endings.   The  following  are  the  commoner  forms  of  strophe : 

T^rza  rima,  the  measure  of  the  ''  Divina  Comm^dia,"  is  made 
up  of  endecasillabi  grouped  in  threes,  and  rhyming  aba  bcb  cdc. 
The  quartina  consists  of  four  lines  rhyming  abab  or  abba. 

.31 


§57  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

The  sestina  consists  of  six  lines,  rhyming  abbacc  or  ababcc. 

Ottava  rima  consists  of  eight  endecasillabi,  rhyming  abababcc. 

The  sonnet  is  the  sonnet  of  English  poetry,  composed  of 
endecasillabi.  The  octave  must  have  but  two  rhyme-sounds, 
rhyming  either  abba  on  the  Petrarcan  or  abab  on  the  Shake- 
spearean model. 

The  Petrarcan  strophe  is  an  extremely  complicated  arrangement 
of  endecasillabi  and  settenari,  in  usually  from  nine  to  twenty  lines. 
It  is  divided  into  two  parts :  the  first,  of  six  or  eight  lines,  with 
intricate  rhyme-scheme;  the  second  an  arrangement  of  tercets 
and  couplets,  connected  with  the  first  by  a  line  (called  the  chiave, 
'key')  which  rhymes  with  the  one  preceding  it. 

The  old  sestina  is  a  form  composed  of  six  stanzas  of  six  lines 
each,  and  a  seventh  stanza  of  three  lines.  These  are  unrhymed, 
but  the  end  words  of  the  first  stanza  are  repeated  in  all  the 
others,  after  a  fixed  order,  the  last  word  in  the  first  line  of  each 
stanza  being  identical  with  that  of  the  last  line  of  the  one  pre- 
ceding. The  seventh  stanza  has  one  of  these  words  at  the  end, 
and  one  in  the  middle,  of  each  of  its  three  lines. 


3? 


LESSON  I 
INDEFINITE  ARTICLE 

58.  Indefinite  Article. 

Masculine  singular  Feminine  singular 

un  una 

uno  un' 

59.  Masculine,  a.  Un  is  used  before  a  masculine  noun 
beginning  with  a  vowel,  or  with  any  consonant  except 
6  impure  or  z. 

Un  padre  A  father 

Un  ugmo  A  man 

I.  The  8  impure  is  s  followed  by  another  consonant. 

h.  Uno  is  used  before  a  masculine  noun  beginning  with 
8  impure  or  z. 

Uno  schi9ppo  A  gun 

Uno  zio  An  uncle 

60.  Feminine.  Una  is  used  before  a  feminine  noun 
beginning  with  a  consonant. 

a.  Una  becomes  un'  before  a  vowel. 

Una  madre  A  mother 

Un*  ora  An  hour 

61.  The  article  in  Italian,  whether  definite  or  indefinite, 
must  be  repeated  before  each  noun. 

Un  ragazzo  e  una  ragazza  A  boy  and  girl 


62-63 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


62.  Interrogative  sentences,  a.  The  interrogative  is  com- 
monly expressed  merely  by  the  inflection  of  the  voice  and 
the  use  of  the  interrogation  point. 

La  dQnna  parla  a  un  ragazzo  The  woman  speaks  to  a  boy 

La  d9iina  parla  a  un  ragazzo  ?  Does  the  woman  speak  to  a  boy  ? 

b.  The  order  may  be  inverted,  the  subject  being  thrown 

at  the  very  end  of  the  sentence. 

Parla  a  un  ragazzo  la  dgnna  ?  Does  the  woman  speak  to  a  boy  ? 

Torna  a  m^zzogiorno  il  padre  ?         Does  the  father  return  at  noon  ? 

I.  *  Do '  or  *  does,'  used  as  auxiliary,  does  not  exist  in  Italian. 

63.  Present  Indicative  of  the  Three  Conjugations. 

'  I  find,' '  am  finding,'  eU.   '  I  lose,' '  am  losing,'  eU.    '  I  understand,'  etc. 
tTQvo    troviamo  p§rdo     perdiamo 


trQvi     trovate 
tr9va    trgvano 


p^rdi     perdete 
p^rde    pfrdono 


capisco     capiamo 
capisci     capite 
capisee     capiscono 


a.  Subject  pronouns  are  usually  omitted,  except  when  required 
for  clearness  or  emphasis. 


VOCABULARY 


un  bambino  a  child,  little  boy 

un  libro  a  book 

un  padre  a  father 

un  panchetto  a  stool,  footstool 

uno  schigppo  a  gun 

uno  scolare  a  pupil 

parlare  speak 

tornare  return 

finire  finish 

rispondere  reply 

f  ceo  here  is,  here  are 

il  the  (m.) 

tutti  all,  everybody  (pi.  verb) 


una  bambina  a  child,  little  girl 

una  madre  a  mother 

una  scuQla  a  school 

a,  ad  {cf.  39)  to,  at 

dice  {fr.  dire,  irr^  %2i:^^ 

dicono  (they)  say 

dQpo  after 

m^zzogiorno  noon 

BuQn  giorno !    Good  morning ! 

Bugna  sera !    Good  evening ! 

e,  ed  {cf.  39)  and 

la  the  {f) 

34 


INDEFINITE  ARTICLE  §63 

EXERCISE 

I.  Reading  Lesson 

Buon  giomo  !  —  dice  un  bambino.  —  Buon  giomo  !  —  rispon- 
dono  il  padre  e  la  madre.  —  Buon  giomo  !  —  dicono  tutti.  II 
bambino  toma  a  scuola  e  dice  —  Buon  giomo  !  —  ad  uno  scolare. 
Dopo  mezzogiomo  tutti  dicono  —  Buona  sera  I 

II 

I .  Finisco ;  toma ;  perdiamo  ;  rispondete ;  trovano ;  capiscono ; 
finisci.  2.  Ecco  un  libro  ed  un  panchetto.  3.  Ecco  un  bambino 
ed  una  bambina.  4.  Finiamo  un  libro.  5,  Parla  ad  uno  scolare. 
6.  Risponde — Buona  sera!  7.  Un  padre  e  una  madre  parlano. 
8.  Ecco  uno  scolare.  9.  Uno  scolare  finisce  un  libro.  10.  Tro- 
vate  uno  schioppo.  11.  Perde  un  libro.  12.  Rispondono  un  bam- 
bino e  una  bambina. 

Ill 

I.  Here  is  a  little  girl.  2.  Here  are  a  book  and  a  gun.  3.  I 
finish,  you  (//.)  understand  ;  thou  repliest ;  they  lose,  he  speaks ; 
thou  speakest,  he  understands,  we  are  returning,  we  understand. 
4.  The  mother  speaks  to  a  little  boy.  5.  They  are  replying 
"  Good  evening! "  6.  A  pupil  is  returning  to  school.  7.  I  lose  a 
gun.  8.  A  mother  and  a  little  boy  are  speaking.  9.  They  are 
speaking  to  a  pupil.  10.  We  are  returning  to  school.  11.  Are 
you  finishing  a  book  ?    12.  The  little  girl  finds  the  footstool 


35 


hg 

abbiamo 

hai 

avete 

ha 

hanno 

64-65  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

LESSON   II 
PRESENT  OF  AVERE  AND  ESSERE 

64.  Present  Indicative  of  avere  *have*  and  ^sere  'be.' 

I  have,  etc.  I  am,  etc. 

spno  siamo 

8^1  si^te 

\  sono 

65.  Personal  Pronouns,  Nominative  Forms  (cf.  63,  a). 

io  I  noi  we 

tu  thou  vol  you 

egli,  ei,  he  eglino,  oftener  essi,  they  {in.) 

ella  she  elleno,  oftener  esse,  they  (/!) 

esso,  essa,  he,  she,  it  essi,  esse,  they 

a.  The  third  person  is  the  one  commonly  used  in  address 
in  Italian,  to  persons  not  members  of  one's  family ;  the  sin- 
gular for  one  person,  the  plural  for  more  than  one. 

Ha  finito  il  libro,?  Have  you  {sg.)  finished  the  book.? 

Hanno  comprato  la  casa?  Have  you  (//.)  bought  the  house.? 

*i.  The  pronoun  is  the  feminine  Ella,  or  more  familiarly  Lfi 
(pi.  Lore ;    usually  written  with  capitals),   even   when   a  man  is 
addressed.     It  stands  for  some  feminine  noun   like  Vossignoria 
'Your  Lordship,'  formerly  used  in  respectful  address. 
L^i  \  ammalato,  Signore .?  Are  you  ill,  sir  "i 

b.  The  second  singular  is  used  to  a  member  of  one's 
family,  to  the  Deity,  to  a  small  child,  to  a  woman  house- 
servant,  or  to  animals.    Its  plural  is  vol. 

*c.  The  second  plural  is  used  to  a  manservant,  a  peasant,  a 
cabman,  or  a  porter;  but  in  the  south  of  Italy  it  is  the  form  in 
general  use  except  for  especial  formahty. 

36 


PRESENT  OP^  A  VERE  AND  ESSERE     §§  65-66 

*d.  The   second   person,   singular  or  plural,   is  used  by  the 
author  to  his  reader. 

e.  In  these  exercises  use  the  third  person  in  address,  unless  it 
is  indicated  that  the  person  spoken  to  is  a  small  child  or  a  member 
of  the  speaker's  family. 
Bu9n  giorno,  Signore !  Come  sta  1      Good  morning,  sir.    How  do  you 

do? 
Hai  il  libro,  Giovannino?  Have  you  the  book,  Johnny? 

Mammina,  vi?ni  qua  Mother,  come  here 

Tornano  a  m^zzogiorno,  Signori  ?        Do  you  return  at  noon,  gentiemen  ? 

/.  'It  is'  with  a  personal  pronoun  ('It  is  I,'  'It  is  you,'  etc.)  is 
rendered  by  a  form  agreeing  in  person  with  the  pronoun. 
E  L^i  ?  Is  it  you  ? 

S?i  tu  ?  Is  it  thou  ? 

Siamo  noi  It  is  we 

Chi  \  la?    Sono  io  Who  is  there?    It  is  I 

66.  Omission  of   the   Indefinite   Article.     The   indefinite 

article  is  omitted  in  the  predicate  after  fssere  (and  fare,  diven- 

tare)   before   an   unmodified   noun   of   rank,   profession,   or 

nationality,  except  in  answer  to  'Who  is  he.-*' 

Chi  \  questa  signpra  ?  Who  is  this  lady  ? 

E  una  contessa  She  is  a  countess 

Questa  signora  \  contessa  This  lady  is  a  countess 

Questo  signore  \  un  mfdico  in-      This    gentleman    is    an    English 
glese  physician 

Note.    For  the  syntax  of  the  indefinite  article,  cf.  Lesson  XXV. 


37 


66 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


VOCABULARY 


un  Americano  an  American  (w.) 

un'  Americana  an  American  {/.) 

un  cognato  a  brother-in-law 

una  cognata  a  sister-in-law 

una  contessa  a  countess 

un  frat^llo  a  brother 

un  Italiano  an  Italian  {m.) 

un'  Italiana  an  Italian  {/.) 

un  professore  a  professor 

una  signora  a  lady,  a  married  woman 

Signora  used  in  address 

una  signorina    a  young  lady,  an 

unmarried  woman 
Signorina  used  in  address 
un  signpre  a  gentleman 
Signore  used  in  address      » 
una  soif  11a  a  sister 
uno  zio  an  uncle 
una  zia  an  aunt 


italiano  Italian 
americano  American 

di  of 

questo  this  {before  masc.  noun) 
questa  this  {before  fern,  noun) 

ng  no 

non  not  {precedes  the  verb) 

si  yes 

chi?  who? 

0  {cf  39)  or 

amare  love 

avere  paura  (di)  be  afraid  (of^ 

portare  carry 

preferire  prefer 

temere  fear 


EXERCISE 


I.  Chi  e  questo  signore?  2.  £  un  professore.  3.  Ha  una 
sorella?  4.  No,  ha  un  fratello  e  una  cognata.  5.  Finisce  il  libro, 
Signora  ?  6.  II  bambino  ha  il  padre,  la  madre,  e  uno  zio.  7.  II 
bambino  e  la  bambina  sono  a  scuola.  8.  Siamo  a  scuola?  9.  No, 
non  siamo  a  scuola.  10.  II  signore  e  la  signora  amano  il  bambino. 
II.  Tornano  a  mezzogiorno,  Signore?  No,  non  torniamo.  12.  La 
bambina  capisce.  13.  £  Americana,  Signorina?  14.  No,  non  sono 
Americana,  sono  Italiana.  15.  Ecco  uno  scolare.  16.  Chi  e  ?  Sono 
io.  17.  Ecco  un  signore.  £  professore?  Si,  e  un  professore 
americano.  18.  Tutti  parlano  a  questa  bambina.  19.  Preferiamo 
il  libro.    20.  Non  hanno  paura. 

38 


PLURAL  OF  NOUNS  §§67-68 


II 


I.  Are  you  an  Italian,  Madam?  2.  No,  I  am  an  American. 
3.  This  little  girl  is  afraid  of  a  gun.  4.  Are  they  at  school  ?  5.  No, 
they  are  not  at  school.  6.  Have  you  (//.)  a  brother?  7.  No,  we 
have  a  brother-in-law  and  a  sister-in-law.  8.  Are  you  speaking  to  a 
professor?  9.  Yes,  I  am  speaking  to  a  professor.  10.  Who  is  this 
lady?  She  is  an  Italian.  11.  Is  she  a  countess?  12.  Yes,  she  is 
an  Italian  countess.  13.  Does  the  professor  prefer  a  gun  or  a 
book  ?    1 4.  The  lady  has  an  uncle. 


LESSON  III 

PLURAL  OF  NOUNS 

67.  Plural  of  Nouns,  a.  Nouns  ending  in  0  or  e  in  the 
singular  change  0  or  e  to  i  in  the  plural. 

Un  ragazzo,  due  ragazzi  A  boy,  two  boys 

Un  inglese,  di^ci  inglesi  An  Englishman,  ten  Englishmen 

Una  lezione,  tre  lezipni  One  lesson,  three  lessons 

b.  Feminine  nouns  ending  in  a  in  the  singular  change  a 
to  e  in  the  plural. 
Una  fin^stra,  n9ve  fin^stre  A  window,  nine  windows 

I.  Masculine  nouns  in  a  take  i  in  the  plural. 
Un  socialista,  quattro  socialisti  A  socialist,  four  socialists 

Note.    For  full  treatment  of  plural  of  nouns,  see  Lesson  XXX. 

68.  Compound  Tenses,  a.  The  compound  tenses  of  all 
transitive  and  some  intransitive  verbs  are  formed  by  means 
of  avere  (cf.  120).     Certain  others  take  fssere  (cf.  96,  98). 

h.  The  past  participle  of  verbs  of  the  first  conjugation 
ends  in  -ato,  of  the  second  in  -uto,  and  of  the  third  in  -ito, 

39 


68-69 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


these  terminations  being  substituted  respectively  for  the  in- 
finitive endings  -are,  -ere,  and  -ire. 


H9  finite  il  libro 
Abbiamo  visitato  la  famiglia 
Hanno  creduto  la  st9ria 
II  padre  |  tornato 


I  have  finished  the  book 
We  have  visited  the  family 
They  have  believed  the  story 
The  father  has  returned 


69.  Future  Indicative  of  Model  Verbs :  '  I  shall  find,'  etc. 


trover9      troveremo 

perder9 

perderemo          capir9 

capiremo 

troverai     troverete 

perderai 

perderete            capirai 

capirete 

troverk      troveranno 

perdera 

perderanno         capirk 

capiranno 

VOCABULARY 

un  bicchifre  a  glass 

aiutare   help  {takes  a 

before  in- 

un  colt?llo  a  knife 

finitive) 

un  cucchiaio  {pi.  cucchiai)  a  spoon 

apparecchiare  set  table 

una  forchetta  a  fork 

consistere  (in)  consist  (of) 

un  piatto  a  plate,  dish 

distfndere  {irr,  p.  abs. 

and  p.p.) 

una  posata  knife,  fork, 

and  spoon, 

spread 

a  place  at  table 

mettere  (/rr.  p.  abs.  and p.p)  put. 

una  tavola  a  table 

put  on 

una  tovaglia  a  tablecloth 

prima  di  before  {time) 

un  uQmo  {pi.  ugmini)  a  man 

domani  to-morrow 

ma  but 

gggi  to-day 

due  two 

in  in,  into 

quattro  four 

su  {cf.  39)  on 

EXERCISE 

I 

I.  La  Flora  b  una  buona  {good)  bambina.  2.  Aiuterk  la  mamma 
ad  apparecchiare.  3.  Apparecchia  prima  di  mezzogiorno.  4.  Do- 
mani torneranno  due  uomini  e  un  bambino.  5.  Distende  la  tova- 
glia, matte  quattro  piatti,  quattro  bicchieri,  e  quattro  posate.  6.  Una 
posata  consiste  in  un  coltello,  una  forchetta,  e  un  cucchiaio.    7.  Un 

40 


DEFINITE  ARTICLE  §§70-71 

bambino  e  una  bambina  distenderanno  la  tovaglia.  8.  Mettero  uno 
schioppo  sur  una  tavola.  9.  Troveremo  il  libro  prima  di  domani. 
10.  Bambini,  apparecchierete  a  mezzogiorno. 

II 
I.  One  mother,  two  mothers;  a  glass,  four  glasses;  a  pupil, 
four  pupils.  2.  I  shall  understand,  thou  wilt  put,  they  will  reply, 
we  shall  return.  3.  They  will  return  to-morrow.  4.  We  shall  set 
the  table  before  noon.  5.  Children,  you  will  lay  the  cloth.  6.  I 
shall  put  on  four  knives,  two  forks,  two  glasses,  and  one  spoon. 
7.  Shall  you  return  before  to-morrow,  sir?  8.  Uncle,  shall  you 
bring  a  gun  and  a  knife  ?  9.  They  will  return  to  school  and  finish 
the  book,  i  o.  Two  men  are  speaking  to  a  pupil.  1 1 .  They  have  set 
the  table,  but  we  have  lost  two  knives.  12.  They  will  help  Maria 
to  find  the  fork. 

LESSON  IV 
DEFINITE  ARTICLE 

70.  The  Definite  Article.    Forms  : 

Masc.  Sing.  Masc.  Plur.  Fem.  Sing.  Fem.  Plur. 

11  i  la  le 

lo  gli 


71.  Masculine,    a.  II,  i,  are  used  before  masculine  nouns 
beginning  with  any  consonant  except  s  impure,  z,  or  gn. 
II  l?tto,  i  l§tti  The  bed,  the  beds 

b.  Lo,  gli,  are  used  before  masculine  nouns  beginning  with 
s  impure,  z,  or  gn. 

Lo  Spagnu9lo,  gli  Spagnu9li  The  Spaniard,  the  Spaniards 

Lo  zio,  gli  zii  The  uncle,  the  uncles 

Lo  gn9cco,  gli  gn9cchi  The  dumpling,  the  dumplings 

41 


§§  71-73  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

''    *i.   For  gli  is  often  substituted  li  before  words  in  which  the 

syllable  gli  occurs. 

Lo  scQglio,  11  sc9gli  The  reef,  the  reefs 

*2.  For  i  is  substituted  gli  before  the  plural  of  dio. 
II  dio,  gli  d?i  (cf.  §  179,  c)  The  god,  the  gods 

c.  L',  gli,  are  used  before  masculine  nouns  beginning  with 
a  vowel. 
ij'  autpre,  gli  autori  The  author,  the  authors 

I.  Gli  becomes  gl'  when  the  vowel  is  i. 
L'  imperatore,  gl'  imperatori  The  emperor,  the  emperors 

*d.  The  form  li  often  occurs  in  dates. 
Li  8  dic^mbre  The  eighth  of  December 

72.  Feminine,    a.  La,  le,  are  used  before  feminine  nouns 
beginning  with  a  consonant. 

La  sfggiola,  le  sfggiole  The  chair,  the  chairs 

La  stanza,  le  stanza  The  room,  the  rooms 

b.  V,  le,  are  used  before  feminine  nouns  beginning  with 
a  vowel. 
L*  ora,  le  ore  The  hour,  the  hours 

I.  Le  becomes  1'  when  the  vowel  is  e  unless  the  plural  is  iden- 
tical with  the  singular. 

L'  ^ra,  V  §re  The  era,  the  eras 

L'etk,  le  etk  The  age,  the  ages 

73.  Uses  of  the  Definite  Article,    a.  The  definite  article  is 

required,  contrary  to  English  usage,  before  an  abstract  noun, 

or  a  noun  taken  in  a  general  sense  as  representative  of  its  class. 

La  vita  ^  br^ve  Life  is  short 

I  cavalli  sono  intellig^nti  Horses  are  intelligent 

La  pazi^nza  ^  una  virtu  Patience  is  a  virtue 

La  vita  dell'  ape  The  life  of  the  bee . 

42 


DEFINITE  ARTICLE 


§§  73-74 


b.  The  definite  article  is  used  before  the  surnames  of 
men  ;  and  familiarly  before  the  given  names  of  women. 

L'  Ari9sto  fu  un  grande  scrittore  Ariosto  was  a  great  author 

La  Pietrina  chiama  la  Signora  B.         Pietrina  is  calling  Mrs.  B. 

Note.    For  the  syntax  of  the  definite  article,  see  Lesson  XXII. 
74.  Past  Absolute  Indicative  of  Model  Verbs :  '  I  found,'  ^/^. 


trovai         trovammo 
trovasti      trovaste 
trov9  trovarono 


perdei  perdemmo 

perdesti       perdeste 
perde  perderono 


capn         capimmo 
capisti       capiste 
capi  capirono 


VOCABULARY 


Kamico  (m.)  friend 

P  awocato  (m.)  lawyer 

la  battaglia  batde 

la  bellezza  beauty 

la  bussola  compass,  bearings 

11  cervfUo  brain,  mind 

il  CQlmo  summit 

11  coraggio  courage 

11  denaro  money 

la  f9rza  force 

11  generale  general 

la  gioventu  youth 

la  gloria  glory 

P  imprud§nte  (;/?.)  imprudent  man 

P  ingrato  (m.)  ingrate 

la  lite  lawsuit 

la  memQria  memory 

il  mpndo  world 


P  occasipnie  (/.)  opportunity 

la  pazif  nza  patience 

la  salute  health 

la  scommessa  wager 

il  spnno  sleep 

lo  speculatgre  speculator 

la  sventura  misfortune 

il  tfmpo  time 

il  tiranno  tyrant 

la  vita  life 

ifii  yesterday 

finalmente  finally 

stamane  this  morning 

per  for;  w/tk  infinitive  in  order 

to 
tre  three 
cinque  five 
tutto  all,  everything 


43 


§74  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

EXERCISE 

I.  Reading  Lesson 

L'  uomo  perde  tutto  in  questo  mondo  :  perde  la  bellezza,  la  gio- 
ventu,  le  forze,  gli  amici,  la  pazienza,  il  tempo,  il  coraggio,  la  gloria, 
r  occasione,  la  bussola,  le  scommesse,  il  cervello,  e  finalmente,  per 
colmo  di  sventura,  perde  la  vita.  Gl'  imprudenti  perdono  la  salute, 
gli  avvocati  perdono  le  liti,  i  generali  perdono  le  battaglie,  i  tiranni 
perdono  il  sonno,  gl'  ingrati  la  memoria  e  gli  speculatori  il  denaro. 

II 

I.  Lo  speculatore  perde  la  scommessa.  2.  II  generale,  per  colmo 
di  sventura,  perde  1'  occasione.  3.  Apparecchieranno,  tornarono ; 
consiste,  distendesti,  finiste,  capi ;  tememmo,  risponderemo ;  aiutb, 
parlano,  portai,  aiutero,  parlerai,  temerono.  4.  L'  avvocato  parlo  ad 
un  amico.  5.  Gli  scolari  finirono  il  libro.  6.  I  generali  perderono 
la  battaglia. 

Ill 

I.  Did  you  understand  the  lesson  yesterday,  children?  2.  The 
men  lost  the  gun,  and  returned.  3.  Speculators  lose  sleep.  4.  Did 
you  return  yesterday,  sir?    5.  The  lawyers  will  lose  the  case. 

6.  We  have  the  opportunities  in  this  world,  but  we  lose  time. 

7.  The  pupil  carried  the  books  to  school.  8.  We  laid  the  cloth  and 
helped  our  mother  [la  mamma],  9.  The  imprudent  (men)  talked 
to  a  speculator.  10.  Thou  retumest,  he  spoke,  we  finished  ;  I  shall 
put,  they  carried,  he  will  aid;  thou  spokest,  you  returned,  they 
feared,  I  found ;  we  are  afraid. 


44 


CONTRACTION  OF  ARTICLE  §§75-77 

LESSON  V 
CONTRACTION  OF  ARTICLE 

75.  Contraction.  The  prepositions  a,  con,  da,  di,  in,  per, 
and  8U,  when  followed  by  the  definite  article,  are  contracted 
with  it  to  form  one  word  as  follows  : 


il 

i 

lo 

gU 

la 

le 

V 

a  to,  at 

al 

ai  or  B? 

alio 

agli 

alia 

alle 

all' 

con  with 

cpl 

CQi  or  CQ* 

cpllo 

cpgli 

cpUa 

cpUe 

cplP 

da  by,  from 

dal 

dai^rda' 

dallo 

dagli 

dalla 

dalle 

dall' 

di  of 

del 

dei  or  de' 

dello 

degli 

della 

delle 

delP 

in  in,  into 

nel 

nei  or  ne* 

nello 

negli 

nella 

nelle 

nelP 

per  for 

pel 

pei^rpe* 

per  lo 

per  gli 

per  la 

perle 

perP 

8U  on 

sul 

sui  or  su' 

suUo 

sugli 

suUa 

suUe 

sull' 

76.  The  preposition  must  be  repeated  before  each  noun. 

Parl9  alio  Spagnu9lo  e  al  Francese      He  spoke  to  the  Spaniard  and  the 

Frenchman 

77.  The  Partitive.    The  partitive  idea,  of  something  less 

than  the  whole  or  fewer  than  all,  expressed  in  English,  if 

at  all,  by  'some'  or  'any,'  is  expressed  in  Italian  by  di  plus 

the  definite  article.    It  is  sometimes  omitted,  but  in  good 

Tuscan  usage  is  oftener  expressed.    (For  'some,'  *any,'  used 

as  pronouns,  cf.  94,  124.    Here,  they  are  adjectives.) 

H9  del  pane  I  have  bread,  I  have  some  bread 

Ci  sono  dei  libri  suUo  scaffale  There  are  books  on  the  shelf 

a.  This  sign  of  the  partitive  is  omitted  in  the  negative,  unless 
the  noun  is  modified  by  an  adjective. 

Non  h9  pane  I   have  no  bread,  I  haven't  any 

bread 
Non  h9  d?l  pane  bianco  I  have  no  white  bread 

45 


§§77-79  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

b.  And  in  enumerations. 

Garibaldi  non  offri  ai  su9i  soldati       Garibaldi  offered  his  soldiers  noth- 
che  fame,  sete,  marce  forzate,  ing   but  hunger,   thirst,   forced 

battaglie  e  m9rte  marches,  battles,  and  death 

tS,  The  Possessive.    The  possessive  in  Italian  is  always 
expressed  by  di  before  a  noun. 


La  casa  di  mio  padre 

My  father's  house 

L'  orol9gio  di  Giovanni 

John's  watch 

Ecco  un  quad^rno ;  9  dello  scolare? 

Here  is  an  exercise  book;  is  it 

the  pupil's? 

79.  Past  Future  (*  should, » 

*  would  0  of  Model  Verbs. 

trover^i                  troveremmo 

perder^i 

perderemmo 

troveresti               trovereste 

perderesti 

perdereste 

trovet^bbe             trover|bbero 

perder^bbe 

perderfbbero' 

capir^i 

capiremmo 

capiresti 

capireste 

. 

capir?bbe 

capirfbbero 

VOCABULARY 

V  acqua  (/)  water 

annaffiare  water 

il  fiore  flower 

appassire  wither 

il  giardino  garden 

fiorire  bloom 

la  mattina  morning 

alzare  raise 

il  mughetto  lily-of-the-valley 

scendere  {p.abs.  and  p.p.  irr.)  de- 

la pianta  plant,  tree 

scend,  go  down 

la  rgsa  rose 

alle  sf  i  at  six  o'clock 

lo  scaffale  shelf 

ci  sono  there  are 

la  tazza  cup 

sfnza  without 

:       :::T     , 

bfl  beautiful 

sftte  seven 

fiorito  in  bloom 

si  (third person  rejf.)  himself,  her- 

molto much 

self,  itself,  themselves 

ogni  every 

si  alza  {rejl.  use  0/ alzare)  rises 

46 


CONTRACTION  OF  ARTICLE  §:T? 

EXERCISE 

I.  Reading  Lesson 

La  Luigina  ha  un  bel  giardino  tutto  fiorito.  Nel  giardino  ci 
sono  rose  e  mughetti.  La  Luigina  ama  molto  i  fiori.  Ogni  mattina 
si  alza  alle  sei,  scende  nel  giardino  e  annaffia  le  piante.  Le  piante 
appassirebbero  senz'  acqua. 

II 

I.  II  padre  della  bambina  aiutb  la  famiglia  dello  zio.  2.  Metterei 
i  coltelli  colle  forchette  sulla  tavola.  3.  Ci  sono  dei  fiori  nel  giardino 
dell'amico?  4.  Portano  dei  libri  dalla  scuola.  5.  Non  troveremmo 
il  libro  sullo  scaffale  ?  6.  I  bambini  non  apparecchierebbero  sehza 
la  mamma. 

Ill 

I.  Are  there  some  roses  on  the  table?  2.  There  are  roses  and 
lilies-of-the-valley  in  the  garden.  3.  Would  the  plants  bloom  with- 
out water  ?  No,  they  would  wither.  4.  The  little  boys  carried  a 
gun  from  the  table  to  the  shelf.  5.  By  the  men,  to  the  pupils,  for 
the  little  boys,  for  the  mother,  of  the  books,  with  the  friend,  on  the 
footstool,  in  the  cup.  6.  Would  you  speak  to  the  speculator  and 
the  lawyer?  7.  We  should  not  put  the  flowers  with  the  books. 
8.  The  uncles  would  go  down  into  the  lawyer's  garden.  9.  The 
pupils'  mother  will  lay  the  cloth.  10.  They  will  put  the  table  in 
the  garden. 


47 


§80  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

LESSON  VI 

GENDER  OF  NOUNS 

80.  Gender  of  Nouns,  a.  Names  of  males  are  masculine ; 
names  of  females  are  feminine. 

II  nQnno  The  grandfather 

La  d9nna  The  woman 

I.  Exceptions:  guida  'guide,'  guardia  'guard,'  'policeman,' 
persona  'person,'  recluta  'recruit,'  sentin^Ua  'sentinel,'  spia  'spy,' 
and  vedetta  '  sentinel,'  which  are  feminine,  although  usually  refer- 
ring to  men. 

b.  Names  of  objects  without  sex  are  either  masculine  or 
feminine,  there  being  no  neuter  in  Italian. 

1.  Nouns  ending  in  a  are  feminine. 

La  lampada  The  lamp 

Exceptions  :  duca '  duke,'  monarca '  monarch,'  pof ta '  poet,'  and 
other  words  listed  under  Lesson  XXXIV ;  and  words  ending  in 
-ista,  like  artista  'artist'  and  pianista  'pianist,'  when  referring 
to  men. 

2.  Nouns  ending  in  -gione,  -zione,  and  -fidine  are  feminine. 

la  ragipne  reason  la  solitudine  solitude 

la  conversazipne  conversation 

3.  Nouns  ending  in  0  are  masculine. 

il  ginQCchio  knee 

Exceptions:  Pfco  (of  common  gender)  'echo,'  and  la  mano 
'hand.' 

4.  Nouns  ending  in  u  are  feminine. 

la  virtu  virtue 

48 


GENDER  OF  NOUNS 


§§  80-81 


Exceptions  :  a  few  foreign  words,  like  il  bambu  '  bamboo ' ;  and 
some  other  parts  of  speech  used  substantively,  as  il  pi^  *  the  most,' 
per  lo  piii  'for  the  most  part.' 

Note.  For  further  treatment  of  the  gender  of  nouns,  see  Les- 
son XXXIV. 


81.  Four  Tenses  of  ^ssere  'be.* 

Present  Indicative 
sono  I  am 
8?i  thou  art 
I  he,  she,  it  is 
ciamo  we  are 
si§te  you  are 
spno  they  are 


Future  Indicative 
sar^  I  shall  be 
sarai  thou  wilt  be 
sari  he,  she,  it  will  be 
saremo  we  shall  be 
sarete  you  will  be 
saranno  they  will  be 


Past  Future 

Past  Absolute 

sar^i  I  should  be 

fui  I  was 

saresti  thou  wouldst  be 

fpsti  thou  wast 

sargbbe  he  eU.  would  be 

fu  he  e/c.  was 

saremmo  we  should  be 

fummo  we  were 

sareste  you  would  be 

fpste  you  were 

sarf  bbero  they  would  be 

furono  they  were 

VOCABULARY                                           ^ 

la  casa  house 

la  sentin^Ua  sentinel 

a  casa  home,  homeward 

la  settimana  week 

il  duca  duke  (//.  duchi) 

la  vacanza  vacation 

la  ff sta  festival 

la  vedetta  scout 

la  fine  end 
la  guida  guide 

la  volontA  will,  willingness 

battere  beat,  clap 

la  lezipne  lesson 

bisognare  (impers.)  be  necessary 

la  mano  hand     «0^  "- 

cominciare    begin  (/a^es  a  de/ore 

il  monarca  monarch 

infin^ 

la  perspna  person 

continuare  continue 

il  pof  ta  poet 

imparare  learn 

la  pQrta  door 

aviQ  I  shall  have 

49 


§  81  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

anche  also,  even  quel  che  what,  that  which 

b?ne  well  gtto  eight 

che  who,  which  {rel^  di^ci  ten 

come  how,  as  starg  {from  stare,  irr)  I  shall  be 

quanti,  -e  how  many?  VQglio  {from  vol^re,  irr.)  Iwish 

andremo  we  shall  go  non  e  necessario  it  is  not  necessary 

EXERCISE 

I.  Reading  Lesson 
II  bambino  dice : 

Lunedi.  —  Voglio  cominciare  bene  la  settimana;  staro  attento 
alle  lezioni,  e  saro  buono. 

Martedi.  —  Bisogna  continuare  quel  che  abbiamo  ben  cominciato. 
Anche  oggi  saro  buono. 

Mercoledi.  —  Come  sono  cont^nto  1  Domani  e  giovedi,  e  avrb 
vacanza! 

Giovedi. — Abbiamo  vacanza  !   Battiamo  le  mani ! 

Venerdi.  —  Oggi  tornerb  a  scuola  con  molta  volonta. 

Sabato.  —  £  la  fine  della  settimana. 

Domenica.  —  La  domenica  e  giorno  di  festa ! 

II 

I.  Quanti  giorni  ci  sono  nella  settimana?  2.  Nella  settimana  ci 
sono  s^tte  giorni.  3.  Domani  e  lunedi ;  bisognerk  tornare  a  scuola. 
4.  Chi  sono  arrivati  lunedi  ?  Un  poeta  e  una  sentinella.  5.  I  bam- 
bini imparerebbero  le  lezioni.  6.  Saremo,  sarebbero,  siete,  fui,  sono, 
siamo,  saranno.  7.  Abbiamo  vacanza  il  giovedi.  8.  Cominicib  a 
imparare  le  lezioni. 

Ill 

I.  To-morrow  is  Friday,  and  I  shall  learn  the  four  lessons. 
2.  He  would  be  at  the  door  of  the  school  at  noon.  3.  We  shall 
go  to  school  Monday,  but  at  the  end  of  the  week  we  shall  return 
home.    4.  It  is  necessary  to  set  the  table  before  noon,  and  the 

50 


ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  §§82-83 

children  will  put  on  the  cups  with  the  glasses.  5.  How  many  cups 
are  there  on  the  shelf  ?  6.  Dante  was  an  Italian  poet.  7.  Who  are 
the  men  in  the  garden  ?  They  are  a  guide  and  a  scout ;  they  are 
speaking  to  the  duke.  8.  The  children  will  clap  their  (the)  hands 
at  the  end  of  the  week.  9.  The  lady's  flowers  are  in  the  glass ;  I 
shall  put  some  water  in  the  glass,  i  o.  On  Sunday  it  is  not  necessary 
to  learn  lessons. 

LESSON  VII 

ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS 

82.  Most  adjectives  end  in  either  0  or  e,  masc.  sing. 

a.  Adjectives  in  0  have  the  forms  of  the  nouns  in  0  and 
a:  rpsso,  rossi,  rossa,  rosse,  *red.' 

II  libro  rosso  The  red  book 

Le  r9se  rosse  The  red  roses 

h.  Adjectives  in  e  take  i  in  the  plural,  but  do  not  change 
for  gender. 

La  camera  grande,  le  camere  grandi      The  large  room,  the  large  rooms 
Un  contadino  semplice,   del  con-      A  simple  peasant,  simple  peasants 
tadini  semplici 

83.  Agreement  of  Adjectives,  a.  An  adjective  agrees  with 
its  noun  in  gender  and  number. 

II  capp^llo  nero  The  black  hat 

Le  pTccole  mani  The  small  hands 

La  r9sa  e  la  mammola  b^lle  The  beautiful  rose  and  violet 

*6.  An  adjective  modifying  two  or  more  nouns  of  differ- 
ent gender  is  either  masculine  plural  or  in  agreement  with 
the  noun  nearest  it. 

Prati  e  s^lve  vastissime  Very  vast  meadows  and  woods 

51 


§§83-84  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

I.  But  when  referring  to  persons  it  must  be  in  the  masculine 
plural. 

I  signori  e  le  signpre  sono  partiti        The    gentlemen   and    ladies    are 

gone 

*c.  A  plural  noun  may  take  two  or  more  adjectives  in 
the  singular  instead  of  being  repeated  in  the  singular  before 
each  adjective. 

I  gov^rni  inglese  e  tedesco  The  English  and  German  govern- 

ments 

84.  Position  of  Adjectives,  a.  Most  adjectives  of  size  or 
quantity,  numerals  and  pronominal  adjectives,  and  usually 
bfUo,  bu9no,  solo,  ultimo,  and  unico,  precede  the  noun. 

Una  piccola  scatola  A  small  box 

H9  P9C0  denaro  I  have  litde  money 

II  primo  capitolo  The  first  chapter 
Quegli  U9mini  sono  francesi  Those  men  are  French 

I.  Numerals  may  follow  when  emphatic. 

Lire  20  20  lire 

h.  Adjectives  of  shape,  color,  nationality,  and  descriptive 
qualities  generally,  participles  used  as  adjectives,  adjectives 
longer  than  their  nouns,  and  adjectives  modified  by  an  ad- 
verb or  a  suffix,  usually  follow. 

La  stampa  inglese  The  English  press 

II  vestito  celeste  The  blue  dress 

La  cioccolata  svTzzera  Swiss  chocolate 

La  n9tte  oscura  The  dark  night 

II  risultato  voluto  The  desired  result 

Una  persona  rispettabile  A  respectable  person 
Una  b^lla  signora,  una  signora  piu      A  beautiful  lady,  a  more  beautiful 
b^Ua,  una  signorina  bellina  lady,  a  pretty  young  lady 

52 


ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  §§84-85 

I.  Adjectives  of  characteristic  may  precede,  when  the  character- 
istic is  peculiarly  intimate  or  usual. 

La  bianca  neve  The  white  snow 

*c.  When  two  or  more  adjectives  modify  the  same  noun, 

either  both  follow,  or  one  precedes  and  the  other  follows, 

the  less  emphatic  preceding. 

Un  palazzo  antico  e  hello  1  .  ,         .,  , 

T  T    ,    ,      ,  ,.  r'  A  beautiful  ancient  palace 

Un  bel  palazzo  antico        J  ^ 

*d.  Some  adjectives  have  a  different  meaning  according 
as  they  precede  or  follow  their  noun.  The  unusual  position 
often  indicates  the  literal,  and  the  usual  position  a  more 
metaphorical,  meaning. 

Un  UQmo  grande  A  large  man 

Un  grand'  UQmo  A  great  man 

Una  cara  figlia  A  dear  daughter 

Una  collana  cara  A  costly  necklace 

La  chi^sa  di  santo  Stefano  The  church  of  St.  Stephen 

£  un  UQtno  santo  He  is  a  saintly  man 

*e.  The  adjective  may  also  be  placed  in  the  unusual 
position  for  emphasis. 

85.  Some  Irregular  Adjectives,  a.  The  adjectives  bu9no 
'good,'  bfUo  'beautiful,'  santo  'saint,'  'saintly,'  and  grande 
'large,'  vary  in  the  masculine  on  the  same  principle  as  do 
the  articles.    The  forms  are  — 

I.  Before  any  consonant  except  s  impure,  sg.  buQn,  bfl,  san, 
gran ;  pi.  bugni,  bfi,  santi,  grandi.    (Gran  may  also  be  used  in  the 
feminine  singular  and  the  masculine  plural.) 
Un  bu9n  soldato  A  good  soldier 

Un  b§l  cavallo,  dei  b?i  cavalli  A    handsome    horse,    handsome 

horses 
San  Paolo  Saint  Paul 

Una  gran  sala  A  large  hall 

53 


§§85-86  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

.2.  Before  a  vowel,  sg.  (m.  and  f.)  bugn,  bfU',  sant',  grand'; 
pi.  (m.)  bugni,  bfgli,  santi,  grandi, 

Un  bugn  amico  A  good  friend 

Un  b§ll'  u9mo  A  handsome  man 

Sant'  Agostino  Saint  Augustine 

B§gli  ucc^lli  Beautiful  birds 

La  b§ll'  aria  The  beautiful  aria 

3.  Before  s  impure,  in  the  predicate,  or  when  placed  after  their 
noun,  the  full  forms:  sg.  bu^no,  b§llo,  santo,  grande;  pi.  bugni, 
bf  Hi,  santi,  grandi ;   bf  gli  with  s  impure. 

Bu^n  pane  Good  bread 

Questo  pane  e  bugno  This  bread  is  good 

Un  b^llo  spettacolo  A  fine  spectacle 

Santo  Stefano  Saint  Stephen 

I  bugni  stivali  Good  boots 
Btgliu9mini  Handsome  men 

Gli  U9mini  sono  b?lli  The  men  are  handsome 

h.  The  following  adjectives  are  invariable:  fu  'the  late,' 
'formerly,'  pari  'equal,'  'even,'  impari  'unequal,'  'odd,'  piii 
'many,'  'most,'  and  ogni  'every'  (with  no  plural). 

La  fu  Signora  Bianchi  The  late  Mrs.  White 

II  niimero  pari  The  even  number 

I  niimeri  impari  Uneven  numbers 

Sono  andato  pivi  V9lte  a  Parigi  I  have  been  to  Paris  several  times 

II  pane  di  ogni  giorno  Daily  bread 

86.  The  Demonstrative  Adjective.    (Cf.  190.) 
a.  Questo  'this.' 

Singular  Plural 

questo,  quest'  (/«.)  questi  (///.) 

questa  (_/!)  queste  (/!) 

54 


ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  §§86-89 

b.  Quelle  'that' 

Singular  Plural 

quel,  quelle,  quell'  (m.)  quelli,  quei,  quegli 

quella,  quell'  (/!)  quelle 

I.  Quelle  is  inflected  like  b^Uo.    (Cf.  85,  a.) 

87.  The  Interrogative  Adjective.    (Cf.  191.) 

a.  Quanto,  quanta  ?  '  how  much  ? ' 
Quanti,  quante?  'how  many?' 

b.  Quale,  quail?  *  which,  which  one  ? '  'which  ones  ? ' 

c.  Che?  'what?' 

88.  Any  adjective  may  be  used  substantively. 

II  pQvero  The  poor  man 

a.  Proper  adjectives  are  not  capitalized  unless  used  substan- 
tively, and  not  invariably  even  then. 

~  La  lingua  francese  The  French  language 

Ecco  due  Inglesi  (inglesi)  There  are  two  Englishmen 

*b.  The  substantive  is  understood  after  the  adjective  in  a  good 
many  familiar  phrases. 

Per  la  piu  br^ve  (strada)  By  the  shortest  route 

Alia  d§stra  (mano)  To  the  right 

Averla  (sgrte)  p?ggio  To  have  a  worse  lot 

Nel  (territ9rio)  fiorentino  In  the  Florentine  territory 

Alia  bugna  (mani^ra)  Familiarly,  in  everyday  fashion 

Alia  (mani^ra)  francese  In  the  French  mode 

89.  Adverbs.    (See  Lesson  XXXVI.) 

a.  Adverbs  are  most  commonly  formed  by  adding  -mente 
to  the  feminine  form  of  the  adjective. 

Sinc^ro,  sinceramente  Sincere,  sincerely 

Prud^nte,  prudentemente  Prudent,  prudently 

55 


89 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


b.  The  words  molto  'much 
tanto  'so  much,'  and  quanto 
either  adverbs  or  adjectives, 
forms  of  adjectives  in  o ;  as 

Molti  U9mini  sono  molto  infelici 
L§i  I  tanto  bu9no,  Signore 
Tanti  saluti  a  casa 
H9  pQchi  libri ;  sono  trQppo  cari 

Ci   sono   trgppe   persone  nella 
stanza 


,'  P9C0  'Httle,'  tr9ppo  'too  much,' 
'as  much'  or  'how  much,'  are 
As  adjectives  they  have  the 
adverbs  they  are  invariable. 

Many  men  are  very  unhappy 
You  are  so  kind,  sir 
Many  kind  regards  to  your  family 
I  have  few  books ;   they  are  too 

dear 
There  are  too   many  persons  in 

the  room 


VOCABULARY 


1'  angolo  (m.)  corner 

1'  appartamento  (m.)  apartment 

la  camera  da  l§tto  {m.)  bedroom 

la  chif  sa  church 

la  cucina  kitchen,  cooking 

rinv^rno  (m.)  winter 

il  palazzo  palace 

il  panorama  view 

ilppnte  bridge 

la  riva  bank,  wharf 

la  sala  da  pranzo  {m.)  dining-room 

il  salone  parlor 

la  stanza  room 

la  terrazza  balcony 

la  tgrre  tower 

la  via  street 

Fir§nze  Florence 

Le  Cascine   '  the  Dairies,'  public 

gardens  of  Florence 
lo  Schiavone  Slav 
la  piazza  square 


bfUo  fine,  beautiful 

bugno  good 

fampso  famous 

grande  large 

largo  (//.  larghi,  larghe)  wide 

lungo  {p/.  lunghi,  lunghe)  long 

santo  saint,  saintly 

v§cchio  {p/.  y^cchi)  old 

abitare  dwell,  live 

guardare  look  at 

passare  pass,  spend 

sedere  (I'rr.)  sit 

accanto  next,  next  door 

dinanzi  a  in  front  of 

dpye  where 

fa  makes,  does  (from  fare,  z'rr.) 

fa  angolo  cgn  is  at  the  corner  of 

perche  because,  why 

sfmpre  always 

vediamo  we  see 

vicino  a  near 


56 


ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  §89 

EXERCISE 


I.  Passiamo  quest' inverno  a  Firenze.  2.  Abbiamo  un  bell' ap- 
partamento  vicino  alle  Cascine.  3.  II  signore  che  abita  nella  casa 
accanto  h  un  buon  medico  inglese.  4.  Nell'  appartamento  ci  sono 
sette  stanze :  un  salone,  una  sala  da  pranzo,  la  cucina,  e  quattro 
camere  da  letto.  5.  Le  camere  sono  grandi,  e  il  salone  e  bello, 
con  una  terrazza  molto  larga.  6.  Dopo  il  pranzo  sediamo  ogni 
sera  sulla  terrazza,  e  guardiamo  il  bel  panorama.  7.  Vediamo  la 
torre  della  chiesa  di  Santo  Spirito,  e  il  Ponte  Vecchio  famoso,  ma 
non  vediamo  il  Palazzo  Vecchio.  8.  II  palazzo  dove  abitiamo  fa 
angolo  colla  Via  Curtatone.  9.  II  Palazzo  Pitti  e  vicino  al  Ponte 
Vecchio. 

II 

I.  We  live  in  a  large  apartment  in  Florence.  2.  We  have  sbc 
rooms,  with  a  large  parlor,-  but  a  very  small  kitchen.  3.  That  man 
is  the  lawyer  who  lives  near  the  Old  Palace.  4.  The  gentleman 
who  lives  in  the  house  next  door  is  a  lawyer.  5.  There  is  a  fine 
square  in  front  of  the  Pitti  Palace.  6.  Near  the  church  of  Saint 
Mark  in  Venice  is  the  Church  of  St.  Stephen.  7.  The  Duke's 
palace  is  near  the  Wharf  of  the  Slavs.  8.  Handsome  men  are 
not  always  good ;  good  men  are  not  always  handsome.  9.  Those 
men  live  in  a  large  palace ;  the  rooms  are  large,  they  are  long  and 
wide.  10.  Why  are  those  ladies  looking  at  the  Old  Bridge }  Because 
it  is  beautiful  and  famous.  1 1.  Those  gentlemen  are  looking  at  the 
Palace  of  the  Uffizi  (//.). 


57 


90 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


LESSON  VIII 

THE  REGULAR  VERBS 

90.  a.  There  are  three  regular  conjugations,  the  first 
ending  in  -are  in  the  infinitive,  the  second  in  -6re  or  '-ere, 
and  the  third  in  -ire. 

b.  Table  of  Regular  Verbs. 

INFINITIVE 


trov-are  'find' 

cred-ere  '  believe,  think ' 

PRESENT  PARTICIPLE 

cap-ire  'understand' 

trov-ando 

cred-^ndo 

PAST  PARTICIPLE 

cap-§ndo 

trov-ato,  -a,  -i,  -e 

cred-uto,  -a,  -i,  -e 

INDICATIVE 

Present 
I  find,  I  am  finding,  eU. 

cap-ito,  -a,  -i,  -e 

tr9v-o       trov-iamo 

cred-o       cred-iamo 

cap-isco       cap-iamo 

tr9v-i        trov-ate 

cred-i        cred-ete 

cap-isci        cap-ite 

tr9v-a       tr9v-ano 

cred-e       cred-ono 

cap-isce        cap-iscono 

Past  Descriptive 

I  found,  was  finding,  used  to  find,  eU. 

trov-avo,  -ava     trov-avamo  cred-evo,  -eva,  -ea     cred-evamo 

trov-avi  trov-avate  cred-evi  cred-evate 

trov-ava  trov-avano  cred-eva,  -ea  cred-evano,  -eano 

cap-ivo,  -iva,  -ia         cap-ivamo 

cap-ivi  cap-ivate 

cap-iva,  -ia  cap-ivano 

58 


THE  REGULAR  VERBS 


§90 


Past  Absolute 
I  found,  did  find,  etc. 


trov-ai 

trov-asti 

trov-9 

trov-ammo 

trov-aste 

trov-arono 

cred-ei,  -?tti 
cred-esti 
cred-e,  -?tte 

cred-emmo 
cred-este 
cred-erono,  -f  ttero 

cap-ii 

cap-isti 

cap-i 

cap-immo 

cap-iste 

cap-irono 

Future 

I  shall  find,  etc. 

trov-er-9 
trov-er-ai 
trov-er-k 

trov-er-emo 

trov-er-ete 

trov-er-anno 

cred-er-6 
cred-er-ai 
cred-er-k 

cred-er-cmo 

cred-er-ete 

cred-er-anno 

cap-ir-9 
cap-ir-ai 
cap-ir-k 

cap-ir-emo 

cap-ir-ete 

cap-ir-anno 

Past  Future 

I  should  find,  etc. 

trover-^i 

trover-esti 

trover-^bbe 

trover-emmo 

trover-este 

trover-fbbero 

creder-^i 

creder-esti 

creder-?bb€ 

creder-emmo 
creder-este 
\         creder-fbbero 

capir-?i 

capir-esti 

capir-^bbe 

capir-emmo 

capir-este 

capir-fbbero 

IMPERATIVE 

Find,  let  him  find,  let  us  find,  etc. 

trov-iamo 
tr9v-a       trov-ate              cred-i 
tr9v-i        tr9v-ino              cred-a 

cred-iamo                             cap-iamo 
cred-ete               cap-isci        cap-ite 
cred-ano             cap-isca      cap-Iscano 

59 


§§  90-92 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


SUBJUNCTIVE 

(Variously  rendered,  according  to  sense) 


Present 

tr9v-i       trov-iamo 

cred-a 

cred-iamo 

cap-isca 

cap-iamo 

tr9v-i       trov-iate 

cred-a 

cred-iate 

cap-isca 

cap-iate 

tr9v-i       tr9v-ino 

cred-a 

cred-ano 
Past 

cap-isca 

cap-Iscano 

trov-assi     trov-assimo 

cred-essi     cred-essimo 

cap-issi 

cap-Issimo 

trov-assi     trov-aste 

cred-essi     cred-este 

cap-issi 

cap-iste 

trov-asse    trov-assero 

cred-esse    cred-essero 

cap-isse 

cap-Tssero 

91.  Formation  of  Regular  Verbs.  Italian  regular  verbs 
have  three  principal  parts :  the  infinitive,  and  the  present 
and  past  participles.    These  all  have  the  same  stem. 

a.  All  simple  tenses  except  future  and  past  future  are 
formed  by  dropping  -are,  -ire,  or  -ere  from  the  infinitive,  and 
adding  the  personal  endings.  For  compound  tenses,  cf .  96, 120. 

h.  The  future  and  past  future  are  formed  by  dropping 
merely  the  final  e  of  the  infinitive,  and  adding  the  termina- 
tions ;  verbs  of  the  first  conjugation  first  change  the  a  of 
-are  to  e. 

c.  Verbs  of  the  third  conjugation  may  be  said  to  have 
a  second  stem  in  their  inchoative  form  in  -isco,  from  which 
are  formed  the  singular  and  third  person  plural  of  the  pres- 
ent indicative  and  subjunctive,  and  the  singular  imperative. 

92.  Imperative,  a.  The  third  persons  of  the  imperative, 
it  will  be  seen,  are  filled  in  from  the  subjunctive. 

Finisca  il  lavoro  Let  him  finish  the  work 

Tornino  a  m^zzogiorno  Let  them  return  at  noon 

Creda  quello  che  dico,  Signore  Believe  what  I  say,  sir 

6o 


THE  REGULAR  VERBS 


§§  92-93 


b.  The  negative  of  the  second  person  singular  of  the  im- 
perative is  formed  with  the  infinitive. 

Non  aver  paura,  Chiarina  Do  not  be  afraid,  little  Clara 

Non  apparecchiare  ancora,  Peppina      Do  not  set  the  table  yet,  Josephine 

93.  Past  Subjunctive,    a.  The  past  subjunctive  is  used  in 
a  condition  of  which  the  conclusion  is  in  the  past  future. 

Se  mi  mandasse  il  danaro,  com-      If  he  should  send  (sent)  me  the 
prer^i  questa  casa  money,  I  should  buy  this  house 


VOCABULARY 


V  anno  (m.)  year 

1'  autunno  {m.)  autumn 
11  calore  heat 
11  colore  color 

V  estate  {/.)  summer 
11  gargfano  carnation 

la  glornata  day,  period  of  one  day 

11  lavoro  work,  task 

11  mese  month 

11  Natale  Christmas 

la  neve  snow 

11  nldo  nest 

la  prima v§ra  spring 

la  stagione  season 

la  tf  rra  earth 

la  trlstezza  sadness 

V  ucc^llo  (m.)  bird 

la  vendemmla  vintage 
plii  more,  most 
se  if 


azzurro  blue 

caldo  hot 

cprto  short 

freddo  cold 

prlmo  first 

ultimo  last 

v§rde  green 

DQve  nine 

dodlcl  twelve 

quale,  -1  which  ?  which  one  ? 

cantare  sing 

dlmlnulre  lessen 

fa  caldo  it  is  hot  (weather) 

fa  freddo  it  is  cold  (weather) 

si  chludono  re/i.  use  of  chludere 

{irr.)  close 
si  rlaprono  refl.  use  ^rlaprlre  (irr.) 

reopen 
si  tinge  refl.  use  ^tingere  {irr.) 

color 


6i 


§93  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

EXERCISE 

I.  Reading  Lesson 

I  MESI  DELL'  ANNO 

Gennaio.  —  £  il  primo  mese.    Neve,  f reddo,  e  giornate  corte. 

Febbraio.  —  £  il  mese  piii  corto  dell'  anno. 

Marzo.  —  Comincia  la  primavera.  L'  uccello  torna  al  vecchio 
nido. 

Aprile.  —  La  terra  si  tinge  di  verde,  il  ci^lo  d'  azzurro. 

Maggio.  —  £  il  mese  delle  rose  e  dei  garof ani.  Che  f esta  di 
colori  1 

Giugno. —  Finisce  V  anno  scolastico. 

Luglio.  —  £  estate.    Si  chiudono  le  scuole. 

Agosto. —  Fa  molto  caldo. 

Sfttfmbre.  —  II  calore  dell'  estate  diminuisce.  Comincia  la 
vendemmia  e  1'  autunno. 

Ottobre.  —  La  sera  e  la  mattina  fa  fresco.   Si  riaprono  le  scuole. 

Novf mbre.  —  Questo  e  il  mese  della  tristezza. 

Dic^mbre.  —  'k  V  ultimo  mese  dell'  anno,  e  siamo  all'  inverno. 
Ecco  il  f reddo,  ma  anche  la  piu  bella  delle  feste :  il  Natale  ! 

II 

I.  Quanti  mesi  ci  sono  nell'  anno  ?  2.  Fa  f reddo  di  gennaio,  ma 
il  f reddo  diminuisce  di  marzo.  3.  ^  primavera ;  gli  uccelli  comin- 
ciano  a  cantare  nel  giardino.  4.  Le  nevi  d'  inverno  sono  molto 
fredde.  5.  Qual  h  la  stagione  calda?  Fa  sempre  caldo  d' estate. 
6.  Nella  primavera  cantano  gli  uccelli.  7.  Cantino,  Signorine,  questa 
sera.  8.  Se  gli  uccelli  non  temessero  il  freddo,  tomerebbero  piu 
presto  al  nido.  9.  Tomate  a  mezzogiomo,  bambini,  i  o.  Se  il  freddo 
diminuisse,  la  primavera  tomerebbe.  11.  Luisina,  porta  i  piatti 
sulla  tavola.  12.  Se  finissimo  il  lavoro  prima  di  mezzogiomo, 
tomeremmo  a  casa.    13.  Se  fark  troppo  caldo  non  torneremo. 

62 


CONJUNCTIVE  PRONOUNS  §94 

III 

I.  There  are  twelve  months  in  the  year.  2.  December,  January, 
and  February  are  the  months  of  winter.  What  are  the  months  of 
summer  ?  3.  Which  is  the  cold  season  ?  It  is  always  cold  in  winter. 
4,  If  the  men  should  speak,  would  he  reply?  5.  Let  us  return 
home.  6.  If  the  birds  returned  to  the  old  nest,  they  would  sing. 
7.  It  is  always  very  hot  in  August,  but  the  heat  grows  less  in 
September.  8.  Do  not  fear  the  heat  of  summer.  9.  Speak  to 
that  sentinel,  sir.  10.  If  the  cold  should  diminish,  we  should  re- 
turn in  March.  11.  If  we  spoke  to  the  Italians,  they  would  reply 
in  Italian.  12.  Little  girl,  do  not  be  afraid  of  that  gun.  13.  Look, 
madam.  14.  Go  down  into  the  garden,  miss.  15.  How  many 
seasons  are  there  in  the  year  ?  1 6.  Reply  in  Italian,  young  ladies. 
17.  It  is  November;  the  days  begin  to  be  short. 


LESSON  IX 
CONJUNCTIVE  PRONOUNS 

94.  a.  Accusative,  Direct  Object. 

mi  me  -  ci  us 

ti  thee  vi  you 

lo  him  li  them  {m.) 

la  her  le  them  {/.) 

ne  some,  any,  of  it,  of  them  {cf.  124) 

*i.  Instead  of  ci  is  often  found,  especially  in  poetry  and  older 
writings,  the  form  ne ;  and  sometimes  il  for  lo. 

h.  Dative,  Indirect  Object. 

mi  to  me,  for  me  ci  to  us,  for  us 

ti  to  thee,  for  thee  vi  to  you,  for  you 

gli  to  him,  for  him 

le  to  her,  for  her  loro  to  them,  for  them  {m.  or/.) 


63 


§§94-95  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

c.  Reflexive  Object,  Direct  or  Indirect, 

mi  myself,  to  o?'  for  myself         ci  ourselves,  etc. 

ti  thyself,  to  or  for  thyself  vi  yourselves,  etc. 

si  himself,  herself,  etc.  si  themselves,  etc.  {in.  or/.) 

95.  Rules  of  Syntax,  a.  These  pronouns  are  called  con- 
junctive, because  conjoined  to  the  verb  in  the  relation  of 
object.  The  object  pronoun,  whether  direct,  indirect,  or 
reflexive,  immediately  precedes  the  governing  finite  verb 
(except  lore,  which  always  follows).  If  the  verb  is  compound, 
the  conjunctive  (except  loro)  precedes  the  auxiliary;  lore  fol- 
lows the  participle. 

Lq  f a  He  does  it 

Ne  parla  He  speaks  of  it 

Ci  alziamo  We  get  up 

Mi  ha  detto  la  veritk  He  has  told  me  the  truth 

Le  danno  un  mazzolino  di  fiori  They  give  her  a  bunch  of  flowers 

Parliamo  Ipro  We  speak  to  them,  let  us  speak  to 

them 

Abbiamo  dato  Ipro  un  quadro  We  have  given  them  a  picture 

*i.  In  literary  usage  loro  will  sometimes  be  found  preceding  the 
verb. 

6.  But  if  the  governing  verb  be  an  infinitive,  a  positive 
imperative  of  the  first  or  second  person,  a  present  participle, 
or  a  past  participle  used  without  auxiliary,  then  the  conjunc- 
tive pronoun  (except  loro)  becomes  enclitic,  being  appended 
to  the  verb-form  so  as  to  make  one  word  with  it.  Loro  is 
never  appended.  The  enclitic  makes  no  change  in  the  ac- 
cent of  the  verb-form. 

Vi^ne  a  trovarlo  He  comes  to  see  him 

Abbiamo  fatto  il  possibile  di  tro-      We  have  tried  our  best  to  find 
varli  them 

64 


CONJUNCTIVES 


§95 


VU9I   dir   loro  che  sono   arrivate 

He  wishes  to  tell  them  that  some 

delle  Ifttere 

letters  have  come 

Av|ndolo 

Having  it 

Avfndolo  detto 

Having  said  it 

Dettogli  questo 

This  being  said  to  him 

11  dispaccio  comunicatoci  dal  0911- 

The  telegram  communicated  to  us 

sole   aff^rma    che    la   gu^rra   e 

by  the  consul   states  that  war 

stata  dichiarata 

has  been  declared 

Lo  punlrono  per  averne  parlato 

They   punished    him   for    having 

spoken  of  it 

I.  With  the  imperative: 

troviamolo 

non  lo  perdiamo 

trgvalo          trovatelo 

non  lo  pf  rdere         non  lo  perdete 

lo  trQvi         lo  tr9vino 

non  lo  p^rda            non  lo  pf  rdano 

2.  The  e  is  dropped   from    the   infinitive    before  an   enclitic 
pronoun  (cf.  31,  a). 

Andiamo  a  trovarla  Let  us  go  and  see  her 


VOCABULARY 


bagnato  wet 

11  burro  butter 

la  campagna  the  country 

la  Ifttera  letter 

V  ombr^llo  7n.  umbrella 

V  orolggio  m.  watch 
il  pane  bread 

il  postino  postman 

la  strada  street 

grazie  (/!  //.)  thanks 

qua  here 

fatto  done,  made;  p. part,  qffare 

(irr.) 
aver  fretta  be  in  a  hurry 
la  sf  ggiola  chair 


comprare  buy 
desiderare  wish,  desire 
favorire  favor  with,  kindly  give 
piacere  (irr.)  please,   be  pleasing 

to ;  mi  place  I  like  {used  w.  dat.) 
per  piacere  please 
rlavere  get  back,  recover 
dlca  J  sg.  pres.  subj.  and  imper, 

of  dire  {irr.)  say,  tell  {takes  dl 
■before  inf.) 
vu9le  J  sg.  pres.  ind.  of  volere 

{irr.)  will,  wish 
dla  J*  sg.  pres.  subj.  and  imper. 

of  ^re  {irr.)  give 
subito  at  once 


65 


§95  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

EXERCISE 

I 
I.  Le  piace  la  campagna,  Signorina?  Mi  piace  tanto.  2.  Hai 
perduto  1'  orologio  ?  Si,  1'  ho  perduto.  3.  Dov'  e  il  denaro  ?  L'  ab- 
biamo  perduto ;  abbiamo  fatto  di  tutto  per  riaverlo.  4.  Le  lettere 
portatemi  dal  postino  erano  della  famiglia.  5.  Parlandole  per  la 
strada,  capimmo  che  aveva  fretta.  6.  Guarda,  Beppino,  1'  om- 
brello  e  bagnato  ;  non  lo  portare  qua.  7.  Mi  favorisca  il  pane, 
Signora.  Grazie.  8.  Ecco  un  bell'  orologio ;  bisogna  comprarlo  per 
Giuseppe.  9.  Lo  dia  a  Giovanni,  e  gli  dica  di  portarlo  a  Giuseppe. 
I  o.  Vediamo  degP  Italiani.  1 1 .  Le  dice  che  abbiamo  perduto  il 
denaro,  ma  non  lo  creda.    12.  Ne  abbiamo  dato  a  Gigi. 

II 

I.  Is  this  John's  book.?  2.  Carry  it  to  John,  Chiarina;  don't 
put  it  on  the  shelf.  3.  Have  you  lost  the  money  ?  Yes,  I  have  lost 
it.  4.  Do  you  wish  to  find  it  ?  I  will  help  you.  5.  Yes,  help  me  to 
find  it,  please.  6.  I  spoke  to  him.  She  spoke  to  us.  We  spoke 
to  them.  7.  Please  pass  me  the  butter.  Thank  you.  8.  Tell  them 
to  return  before  noon.  9.  Put  the  chairs  near  the  table ;  do  not 
put  them  in  front  of  the  door.  10.  Give  us  the  flowers,  please; 
do  not  give  them  to  Maria.  1 1 .  Has  he  the  money  ?  No,  carrying 
it  home  he  lost  it.  12.  It  is  very  hot  to-day ;  I  do  not  like  the  heat. 
13.  Buy  some  at  once.    14.  Don't  speak  of  it,  child. 


66 


ESSERE  AND  THE  PASSIVE 


§96 


LESSON  X 


THE  VERB  ESSERE 


96.  The  Verb  Essere,  'be.' 


INFINITIVE                              PRESENT  PARTICIPLE 

fssere                                           ess?ndo 
f  ssere  stato 

INDICATIVE 

Present          Past  Descriptive     Past  Absolute 

PAST  participle 

stato 
ess^ndo  stato 

Future 

sono     siamo        ^ro,  -a     eravamo 
s^i        si^te          ?ri          eravate 
^          spno          §ra          frano 

fui 

fosti 

fu 

fummo 

foste 

furono 

sar9      saremo 
sarai     sarete 
sark     saranno 

Present                  Past 
Perfect               Perfect 

sono  stato,  -a,  etc.     ^ro  stato,  eU. 

Second  Past 
Perfect 

fui  stato,  eU. 

Future 
Perfect 

sar9  stato,  etc. 

Past  Future 

Past  Future  Perfect 

sar^i         saremmo 
saresti       sareste 
sar^bbe     sar^bbero 

sar^i  stato,  e/c. 
saremmo  stati,  -e,  e/c. 

IMPERATIVE 

sii 
sia 

siamo 

si^te 

siano 

subjunctive 
Present 

sia     siamo 
sia     siate 
sia     sTano 

fossi 
fpssi 
fosse 

Past 
fossimo 
foste 
fossero 

Present  Perfect 
sia  stato,  eU. 

Past  Perfect 
fpssi  stato,  eU. 

6j 


§97  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

97.  The  Passive  Voice,  a.  The  passive  voice  is  con- 
structed by  means  of  the  auxiUary  essere  and  the  past  parti- 
ciple of  the  verb  conjugated.  It  is  used  chiefly  when  the 
agent  is  expressed ;  otherwise  the  reflexive  best  translates 
the  English  passive.    (See  Lesson  XI I.) 

L'  Amfrica   h   stata   scop§rta   da      America  was  discovered  by  Chris- 
Crist9foro  Colombo  topher  Columbus 

*i.  The  passive  may  be  constructed  with  the  verbs  andare  *go,' 
venire  '  come,'  rimanere  '  remain,'  but  with  reference  rather  to  the 
state  resultant  from  the  action  than  to  the  action  itself  (cf.  129, 
138,  149). 

Va  fatto  cosl  It  should  be  done  this  way 

Prima    che    la   frugale    colazione      Before   the  frugal   luncheon  was 

venisse  imbandita,  il  lavoro  fu  served,  the  work  was  done 

terminate 
Ne  rimase  stupefatto  He  was  amazed  at  it 

b.  Model  Passive  Verb. 

INFINITIVE 

Present  Perfect 

fssere  lodato,  to  be  praised  fssere  stato  lodato,  to  have  been 

praised 

PARTICIPLE 

ess^ndo  lodato,  being  praised  ess^ndo  stato  lodato,  having  been 

praised 

INDICATIVE 

Present  Past  Descriptive 

sono  lodato,  I  am  praised,  etc.  ?ro  lodato,  I  was  being  praised,  etc. 

Future  Past  Absolute 

sar^  lodato,  I  shall  be  praised,  etc.        fui  lodato,  I  was  praised,  etc. 

Present  Perfect  Future  Perfect 

spno  stato  lodato,  etc.  sarg  stato  lodato,  etc. 

68 


ESSERE  AND  THE  PASSIVE 


97-99 


Past  Perfect 
fro  stato  lodato,  etc. 

Past  Future 
sar?i  lodato,  etc. 


Present 
sia  lodato,  etc. 

Present  Perfect 
sia  stato  lodato,  etc. 


IMPERATIVE 

sii  lodato,  etc. 

SUBJUNCTIVE 


Second  Past  Perfect 
fui  stato  lodato,  etc. 

Past  Future  Perfect 
sarf  i  stato  lodato,  etc. 


Past 
f^ssi  lodato,  etc. 

Past  Perfect 
fpssi  stato  lodato,  etc. 


98.  All  passive,  reflexive,  and  impersonal  verbs  (except 
fare  used  impersonally)  are  conjugated  with  essere  (cf.  101). 

I  Cristiani  primitivi  furono  perse-  The  early  Christians  were  perse- 

guitati  dai  Romani  cuted  by  the  Romans 

S'  e  alzato  alle  s^tte  He  rose  at  seven 

£  piovuto  It  has  rained 

99.  After  the  auxiliary  essere,  the  past  participle  agrees 
with  the  subject,  except  with  reflexives  (cf.  104,  c,  i ;  194,  h). 

Molte  battaglie  furono  vinte  dai      Many   battles  were   won   by   the 

Tedeschi  Germans 

Sono  venuti  quei  signori?  Have  those  gentlemen  come? 


VOCABULARY 


la  bandif  ra  flag 

la  gu^rra  war 

il  p9polo  people 

il  sangue  blood 

11  soldato  soldier 

lo  stato  state 

la  VQlta  time,  a  time 


amvare  arrive 
combattere  fight 
diffndere  {irr.)  defend 
dividere  {irr.)  divide 
innalzare  raise 
insegnare  teach  (insegno) 
morire  {irr.)  die 


69 


§99  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

mostrare  show  circa  about 

spargere  {irr.)  scatter  disse  3  sg.  p.  abs.  ^dire  {irr.)  say 

venire  {irr.^  p.p.  venuto)  come  dobbiamo    /  pi.  pres.    ind.    of 

bianco  {pi.  bianchi,  bianche)  white  dovere  {irr)  must 

caro  dear  la  ngstra  our 

felice  happy  pr  sono  ago 

il  prgprio  own,  one's  own  quando  when 

rosso  red  stesso  itself  etc.  {not  rejl.\  same 

tutto  all  Slibito  immediately 

ancpra  yet,  still  vogliamo  i  pi.  pres.  ind.  o/yolere 

Cf  nto  hundred,  a  hundred  {irr.)  wish,  will 

chi?  who? 

EXERCISE 


LA  BANDIERA  NAZIONALE 

La  nostra  bandiera  nazionale  e  di  tre  colori :  bianco,  rosso,  verde. 

Essa  e  il  simbolo  della  patria,  e  noi  dobbiamo  amarla  come  la 
patria  stessa.  II  soldato  per  essa  combatte,  ed  b  felice  di  spargere 
il  proprio  sangue  e  di  morire  per  difenderla. 

La  nostra  bella  bandiera  tricolore  fu  innalzata  la  prima  volta  dai 
soldati  piemontesi,  circa  cento  anni  or  sono,  quando  1'  Italia,  la 
nostra  cara  patria,  non  era  ancora  tutta  unita  e  libera. 

E  il  popolo  subito  1'  amb,  e  disse  che  era  la  piu  bella  di  tutte ; 

e  la  canto  cos\ : 

La  bandiera  a  tre  colori 

sempre  e  stata  la  piu  bella ; 

noi  vogliamo  sempre  quella, 

noi  vogliam  la  libertk ! 

II 

I .  The  national  flag  of  the  United  States  is  of  three  colors  :  red, 
white,  and  blue.  2.  The  soldiers  have  come,  carrying  the  flag  of 
the  state.    3.  Carrying  it  always,  they  will  have  returned  to  the 

70 


CONJUNCTIVES  AND  AUXILIARIES  §  100 

war.  4.  The  tricolored  flag  was  carried  by  the  Italians  in  the  war 
for  [of]  Independence.  5.  Soldiers  love  their  own  country;  they 
are  glad  to  die  to  defend  it.  6.  The  soldier  has  found  the  gun,  but 
he  has  not  yet  returned.  7.  Do  you  like  the  tricolored  American 
flag  ?  Yes,  I  like  it. 

LESSON  XI 

CONJUNCTIVES  (Contioted) 

100.  a.  Ecco  takes  the  pronouns  appended  in  the  same 
manner  as  certain  parts  of  the  verb  (cf.  95,  h). 
Dov' ^  la  mia  borsa .?    Eccola  Where  is  my  bag?    Here  it  is 

Eccone  Here  is  some,  here  are  some 

Eccoci  Here  we  are 

h.  All  conjunctive  pronouns  except  gli  and  glie  double 
their  initial  consonant  when  appended  to  a  verb-form  which 
ends  in  an  accented  vowel  (cf.  5,  &,  2  ;  125,  b,  2). 

Dammi  del  latte  Give  me  some  milk 

Fallo  subito  Do  it  at  once 

Stacci  attento  Pay  attention  to  it 

*i.  The  following  types  are  confined  to  poetic  or  literary  use: 
Parl9mmi,  for  Mi  parlo  He  spoke  to  me 

Porterallo,  for  Lo  porterk  He  will  bring  it  to  us 

Guard9cci,  for  Ci  guardo  He  looked  at  us 

c.  La  and  Le  are  the  accusative  and  dative  cases,  respec- 
tively, of  Lfi  in  direct  address  (cf.  65,  a),  and  are  used  to 
persons  of  either  sex  (but  Li,  Le,  accusative  plural,  accord- 
ing to  sex). 

A  rivederla,  Signore  Good-by,  sir 

Come  Le  place  questo  dolce,  Si-      How  do  you  like  this  dessert,  sir? 

gnore? 
A  rivederli,  Signpri  Good-by,  gentlemen 

71 


§100  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

d.  When  a  noun  object,  or  an  object  clause,  precedes  the 
verb,  it  must  be  repeated  in  pronoun  form,  as  a  conjunc- 
tive object. 
La  carne  non  1'  ho  comprata  The  meat  I  haven't  bought 

*i.  Sometimes  in  conversation,  for  vivacity  or  emphasis,  the 
order  is  reversed,  a  conjunctive  pronoun  preceding  the  verb  re- 
dundantly. 
L'  ha  visto  il  Dugmo  ?  Have  you  seen  the  Cathedral  ? 

*2.  The  dative  is  often  used  as  the  so-called  dative  of  refer- 
ence or  concern. 

M'  ^ra  m9rta  di  p9co  la  mamma  My  mother  had  died  a  short  time 

before 

*e.  In  the  predicate  after  'to  be,'  'so'  is  expressed  by  lo, 

used  even  w^here  it  would  be  redundant  in  English. 

Cosi  imp^rvi  alio  spTrito  mod^rno      As  impervious  to  the  modern  spirit 
come  Ip  sono  quel  rozzi  contadini  as  are  those  rough  peasants 

I .  Lo  translates  '  so '  also  in  such  phrases  as  the  following : 
Lo  credo  I  think  so 

Speriamolo  Let  us  hope  so 

*f.  The  reflexive  pronoun  may  be  appended,  but  only  in  the 
third  person,  to  the  forms  of  the  indicative  in  addition  to  those 
forms  listed  under  95,  6. 
DTcesi  It  is  said 

*g.  A  conjunctive  form  is  sometimes  used  as  subject  of  the 
third  person.  It  is  unstressed,  and  usually  redundant.  The  forms 
are  these : 

gli,  e 


_  J  egli  la  =  ella 


1^  eglino  le  =  elleno 

La  non  lo  creda  Do  not  (you)  believe  it 

Le  son  molto  eleganti  They  {/.)  are  very  elegant 

Gli  is  used  before  a  word  beginning  with  a  vowel  or  h  ;  e',  else- 
where. 

72 


CONJUNCTIVES  AND  AUXILIARIES    §§  100-101 

1.  The  similar  use  of  lo  and  li  as  the  redundant  object  of 
reflexive  verbs  is  provincial  and  incorrect. 

Tu  s?i  ammalato,  lo  si  vede  You  are  ill,  one  sees  it 

2.  The  word  'it'   in   such  phrases   as  'it  is   because'  etc.  is 
translated,  if  at  all,  by  gli  or  egli. 

Gli  ^  perche  le  leggi  sono  tr9ppo      It   is   because    the    laws   are   too 
rigorose  rigorous 

101.   Some  intransitive  verbs  are  conjugated  with  essere 

and  some  with  avere : 

a.  The  following  always  with  essere : 

andare  go  morire  die  scendere  descend 

arrivare  arrive  nascere  be  born  sorgere  arise 

cadere  fall  partire  depart  tornare  return 

comparire  appear  parvenire  arrive  uscire  go  out 

correre  run  piacere  please  venire  come 

entrare  enter  rimanere  remain  stare  be 

fssere  be  riuscire  succeed 

*&.  The  following  (for  reference  only)  always  with  avere : 


camminare  walk 
desinare  dine 
dormire  sleep 
giocare  play 
muggire  low 


nitrire  neigh 
parlare  speak 
passeggiare  take  a  walk 
piangere  weep 
pranzare  dine 


ridere  laugh 
sbadigliare  yawn 
sognare  dream 
sonnecchiare  nap 
starnutire  sneeze 


*c.  The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  verbs  which  take 
avere  when  the  action  is  thought  of,  and  essere  when  the 
state  resultant  from  the  action  is  more  considered. 


appartenere  belong 
bastare  suffice 
cessare  cease 
consistere  consist 
degenerare  degenerate 


dimorare  dwell 
durare  last 
giungere  arrive 
invecchiare  grow  old 
montare  mount 


partire  divide 
ritornare  return 
salire  go  up 
succfdere  happen 
vivere  live 


73 


§§  102-103  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

102.  The  verb  'to  be'  combined  with  the  participle  in 
'-ing,'  in  such  Enghsh  phrases  as  'to  be  singing,'  'they 
are  writing,'  etc.,  is  rendered  in  ItaHan  by  the  verbs  stare 
and  andare.  With  andare  the  idea  conveyed  is  more  active^ 
with  stare  more  static. 

Stanno  cantando  They  are  singing 

Stg  legg^ndo  I  am  reading 

II  ragazzo  va  crescendo  a  giorno  The  boy  is  growing  day  by  day 

a  giorno 

L'  albero  va  perd^ndo  le  f9glie  The  tree  is  losing  its  leaves 

103.  Some  Uses  of  da.  The  preposition  da  has  many  idio- 
matic uses : 

a.  To  mean  'at  the  house  of,'  'at,'  'to,'  with  a  word  re^ 

f erring  to  a  person. 

Andiamo  dalla  sorflla  mia  Let  us  go  to  my  sister's 

Sono  andati  dal  guantaio  They  have  gone  to  the  glover's 

(the  glove-store) 
Vu9le  andare  da  Chiara  ?  Do  you  wish  to  go  to  Clara's  ? 

Abita  da  sua  cognata  She  lives  at  her  sister-in-law's 

&.  With  essere,  to  mean  'it  is  to  be'  with  the  sense  of 
obligation  or  propriety.  The  infinitive  then  has  often  pas- 
sive force. 

£  da  sperarsi  che  quest'  affare  non      It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  affair 

andrk  a  finire  male  will  not  terminate  badly 

]f  ra  da  ridere  It  was  an  occasion  for  laughter 

VOCABULARY 

la  cioccolata  chocolate  la  sfggiola  chair 

Giuseppe  Joseph  la  stazione  railway  station 

il  nQnno  grandfather 

la  pasta  small  cake  aspettare  wait,  wait  for 

11  patriQta  patriot  invitare  invite 

11  ritratto  portrait  sperare  hope  (sp?ro) 

74 


CONJUNCTIVES  AND  AUXILIARIES  §  103 

due  VQlte  twice  andato  p.p.  of  andare  go 

a  pi?di  on  foot  mgrto  p.p.  of  morire  die 

fiorentino  Florentine  partito  p.p.  of  partire  go  away 

contro  against  piaciuto  p.p.  of  piacere  please 

per  t?mpo  early  rimasto  p.p.  of  rimanere  remain 
da,  date,  2  sg.  and  pi.  imper.  of      sctso  p.p.  <7/"scendere  go  down 

dare  uscito  p.p.  of  uscire  go  out 

di'  2  sg.  imper.  ^dire  venuto/./.  <?/*  venire  come 

EXERCISE 

I 
I.  Siamo  invitati  a  pranzo  da  due  amici.  2.  Eccoci  arrivati  dagli 
amici,  che  abitano  vicino  alia  chiesa ;  siamo  venuti  a  piedi.  3.  Dov' e 
la  tazza?  Eccola  sullo  scaffale.  4.  La  metta  sulla  tavola.  Non  la 
porti  in  cucina.  5.  L'  orologio  non  lo  trovo.  6.  Ha  i  libri  italiani 
che  desidero  ?  Eccoli,  S ignore  ;  vuol  comprarli?  7.  Molti  soldati 
sono  morti  nella  guerra  contro  i  Turchi.  8.  Chi  Le  ha  insegnato 
la  lingua  italiana  ?  La  lingua  italiana  m'  e  stata  insegnata  da  un 
vecchio  patriota  italiano.  9.  Erano  arrivati  prima  di  mezzogiomo  i 
ragazzi  ?  10.  Ecco  la  Luisina;  dalle  dei  fiori.  11.  £  venuta  una 
signora;  bambine,  portatele  delle  paste.  12.  Dimmi,  Peppina,  sei 
stata  a  scuola  oggi?  13.  Parlandomi  della  famiglia,  mi  mostro  un 
ritratto  della  madre.  1 4.  Ecco  il  nonno ;  bambini,  dategli  una 
seggiola.  15.  Luigi  e  andato  da  Chiara,  per  mostrarle  T  orologio 
che  ha  comprato. 

II 

I.  I  have  lost  John's  watch,  but  I  hope  to  [di]  find  it.  2.  Our 
flag  was  made  by  the  pupils  of  the  old  Florentine  school.  3.  Here 
is  the  bread,  but  the  butter  I  have  not  bought.  4.  Where  is  Louis's 
gun  ?  There  it  is  on  the  shelf.  5.  Having  carried  it  to  Louis,  return 
here  at  once.  6.  Let  us  return  to  Joseph's ;  he  will  show  us  the 
Italian  national  flag  which  he  carried  in  the  war.  7.  The  soldier 
has  found  the  guns,  but  has  not  yet  returned.  8.  The  mother  and 
aunt  of  the  pupil  have  died.    9.  The  little  girl  went  down  into  the 

75 


§104  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

garden  at  six  this  morning.  lo.  Had  John's  sisters  gone  to  the 
station  when  Mary  arrived  ?  1 1 .  Give  me  some  bread,  little  Clara ; 
do  not  carry  it  into  the  kitchen.  12.  The  American  ladies  are  not 
here;  they  left  to-day.  13.  Where  is  Mrs.  Rossi?  There  she  is, 
arrived  at  the  station.  14.  Chiarina,  tell  her  to  wait  for  us.  15.  We 
should  have  spoken  to  them  if  they  had  remained.  16.  Have  you 
been  in  America  ?  We  have  been  in  America  twice ;  we  liked  it 
very  much.  1 7 .  The  ladies  had  gone  out  early  this  morning ;  they 
bought  some  chocolate,  and  have  now  returned  to  Mary's. 

LESSON  XII 
REFLEXIVE  VERBS 

104.  Reflexive  Verbs :   a.  Reflexive  verbs  are  those  whose 

object  is  the  same  person  as  their  subject. 

Si  alza  He  rises  (///.  raises  himself) 

M'  assuef9  ad  alzarmi  alle  s§i  I  accustom  myself  to  rise  at  six 

I.  'Self  reflexive  (which  is  always  the  object)  must  not  be 
confused  with  'myself,'  etc.,  intensive,  which  may  be  the  subject 
and  is  expressed  by  stesso  or  medesimo  accompanying  the  pronoun. 

L'  h9  fatto  io  stesso  I  did  it  myself 

L'  ha  detto  lui  medesimo  He  said  it  himself 

b.  In  the  plural,  reflexives  may  have  reciprocal  force ;  if 
this  is  not  clear  from  the  context,  1'  un  V  altro  '  one  another ' 
may  be  added  to  emphasize  reciprocal  meaning. 

Si  amano  They  love  themselves,  they  love 

each  other 
Si  amano  V  un  1'  altro  They  love  each  other 

c.  Reflexives  are  conjugated  in  the  compound  tenses  with 
essere  (cf.  98). 

Mi  sQno  pentito  I  have  repented 

Se  si  fossero  amati  If  they  had  loved  each  other 

76 


REFLEXIVES  AND  RECIPROCALS 


§104 


La  signora  s'  ?ra  alzata  presto 
Mi  sono  comprati  dei  guanti 


I.  The  participle  agrees  with  the  direct  object  (cf.  194,  6,  3), 
which  may  or  may  not  be  the  reflexive,  personal  object. 

The  lady  had  risen  early 

I  have  bought  myself  some  gloves 

*2.   But  the  strict  observance  of  this  rule  offends  the  Tuscan 
ear.    Tuscans  make  the  participle  agree  with  the  personal  object. 

Mi  sono  comprato  {or  comprata)  dei  guanti 
d.  Model  Reflexive  Verb :  synopsis  of  fermarsi  '  stop/ 


fermarsi 
fermandosi 


Present 


INFINITIVE 


PARTICIPLE 


Perfect 
f ssersi  fermato 

essf ndosi  fermato 


Present 

mi  f^rmo         ci  fermiamo 
ti  f^rmi  vi  fermate 

si  f^rma  si  ff rmano 


INDICATIVE 


Past  Descrifiive 
mi  fermavo,  etc. 


Future 
mi  fermer9,  etc. 


Past  Absolute 
mi  fermai,  etc. 


Present  Perfect 

mi  sono  fermato,  -a     ci  siamo  fermati,  -e 
ti  s^i  fermato,  -a  vi  si^te  fermati,  -e 

s'  f  fermato,  -a  si  sono  fermati,  -e 


Past  Perfect 
mi  ^ro  fermato,  etc. 


Future  Perfect 
mi  sar9  fermato,  etc. 


Second  Past  Perfect 
mi  fui  fermato,  etc. 


Past  Future 
mi  fermer^i,  etc. 


77 


Past  Future  Perfect 
mi  sar^i  fermato,  etc. 


§§104-105  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

IMPERATIVE 


fermiamoci 

non  ci  fermiamo 

f^rmati 

fermatevi 

non 

ti  fermare 

non  vi  fermate 

si  ff rmi 

si  ff  rmino 

non  si  f?rmi 

i 

non  si  ff  rmino 

Present 

SUBJUNCTIVE 

Past 

mi  f^rmi, 

etc. 

mi 

fermassi,  etc. 

Present  Perfect 

Past  Perfect 

mi  sia  fermato,  etc. 

mi 

fossi  fermato,  etc. 

105.  The  Reflexive  is  Used  — 

a.  In  expressions  essentially  reflexive  in  character. 
Si  v^ste  He  dresses  himself 

h.  In  many  verbs  not  essentially  reflexive  in  character  in 
English,  but  invariably  so  in  Italian. 
Lagnarsi  to  complain  vergognarsi  to  feel  ashamed 

1.  When  the  English  equivalent  of  such  verbs  is  transitive,  the 
Italian  reflexive  often  governs  an  object  by  means  of  a  preposition. 

Si  acc9rge  di  uno  strfpito  He  perceives  a  noise 

Avviciniamoci  a  quella  casa  Let  us  approach  that  house 

*2.  The  reflexive  pronoun  is  omitted  from  the  infinitive  of  these 
verbs  when  dependent  upon  fare,  lasciare,  sentire,  udire,  vedere. 

Lo  faremo  pentire  {refl.  pentirsi)         We  shall  make  him  repent 

'*3.  The  pronoun  may  be  the  "dative  of  reference  or  concern," 
merely  to  add  vivacity  or  intensity  ;  auxiliary  sometimes,  rarely,  avere. 
lo  mi  viveva  di  mia  S9rte  cont^nta      I  lived  content  with  my  lot 

c.  In  the  dative,  to  avoid  the  use  of  the  possessive  with 

clothing  or  parts  of  the  body  (cf.  109). 

S'  e  bruciato  il  dito  She  has  burned  her  finger 

Mi  metto  il  capp^Uo  I  put  on  my  hat 

78 


REFLEXIVES  AND  RECIPROCALS  §106 

106.  Special  Uses.  a.  In  the  third  persons  singular  and 
plural,  and  in  the  infinitive  and  participles,  the  reflexive 
translates  the  English  passive  with  agent  unexpressed. 

Molti  libri  inglesi   si  vendono  in      Many  English  books  are  sold  in 

Italia  Italy 

Qui  si  parla  francese  French  spoken  here 

''^i.  The  agent  may  even  be  expressed,  and  still  the  reflexive 
construction  will  be  retained. 

Se  ne  discuteva  molto  dal  pQpolo        There  was  much  discussion  of  it 

by  the  people 

h.  The  English  impersonal  'one,'  'we,'  'they,'  etc.,  and 
the  impersonal  passive,  are  translated  by  the  reflexive. 

Si  dice  They  say,  it  is  said 

Si  va  spesso  al  teatro  People  often  go  to  the  theater,  we 

often  go  to  the  theater 
Si  pu^  entrare  ?  May  one  enter  ? 

*i.  Jssersi,  impersonal,  takes  a  plural  subject  (cf,  194,  b,  3,  a)  : 

Si  e  lifti  il  giorno  di  Natale  People   are   happy  on  Christmas 

Day 

*c.  Italian  being  a  much  more  impersonal  language  than 
English,  the  reflexive  often  best  translates  also  the  English 
personal  construction. 

Se  non  Le  piacciono  questi  guanti.       If  you  do  not  like  these  gloves, 

si  barattano  you  may  exchange  them 

Dove  si  cgmprano  i  biglietti  ?  Where  do  I  buy  my  tickets  ? 

*d.  In  the  third  person  singular  the  reflexive  is  peculiarly 
used  in  Tuscan  familiar  speech,  along  with  the  pronoun  of 
the  first  person  plural,  with  which  in  compound  tenses  the 
past  participle  agrees.  'We'  in  this  case  is  not  general  or 
impersonal,  necessarily. 

79 


§106 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Noi   si    va   s^mpre    in    chi^sa   la 

domenica 
Ci  si  accQrse  del  suo  arrivo 
Npi  si  §ra  allegri  i^ri 


We  (i.e.  our  family,  our  household) 
always  go  to  church  on  Sunday 
We  noticed  his  arrival 
We  were  joyful  yesterday 


VOCABULARY 


P  arnica  {pi.  amiche)  friend  {f.) 
la  giornata  day,  period  of  one  day 
1'  inchigstro  in.  ink 
il  libraio  bookseller 
la  macchia  spot 
il  vestito  dress 

alle  nQve  at  nine  o'clock 
meno  male  luckily 

grgsso  big 
scuro  dark 


accomodarsi  make  oneself  com- 
fortable, sit  down  (m'  accpmodo) 

alzarsi  rise 

chiamare  call 

chiamarsi  be  named 

far  colazione  lunch 

fa  passare  shows  in  (makes  to 
enter) 

fermarsi  stop 

insudiciare  soil 

lavarsi  wash  (oneself) 

mettersi  put  on  (clothes) 

mettersi  a  sedere  sit  down 

ricordarsi  (di)  remember  (ricgrdo) 

seguitare  follow 


EXERCISE 

I.  Reading  Lesson 

LA  GIORNATA  DELLA  NERINA 

I.  Ecco  una  cara  bambina !  2.  Come  si  chiama  ?  Si  chiama  Ne- 
rina.  3.  Nerina  passa  una  giornata  felice.  4.  Si  alza  alle  sei  e  aiuta 
la  mamma  a  preparare  il  caffe.  5.  Si  mette  un  vestito  scuro  per 
non  insudiciarlo.  6.  Non  si  mette  il  vestito  bianco  delle  feste. 
7.  £  arrivata  a  scuola  alle  nove.  8.  A  scuola  s'  e  fatte  delle  grosse 
macchie  d'  inchiostro  sul  vestitino.  9.  Meno  male  che  non  era  il 
bianco.  10.  A  mezzogiomo  e  tornata  a  far  colazione,  senza  fer- 
marsi per  la  strada.  11.  Prima  di  far  colazione  si  lava  le  mani. 
12.  I  bambini  non  si  ricordano  sempre  di  lavarsi  le  mani.    13.  La 

80 


POSSESSIVES 


§107 


sera  qualcuno  e  arrivato.  Era  un'  arnica  della  mamma.  14.  Ne- 
rina  la  fa  passare,  e  le  dice,  "  Buona  sera,  Signora.  S'  accomodi. 
Ecco  una  seggiola." 

II 

(Use  present  perfect  for  past  tenses.) 

I.  At  what  hour  did  you  get  up,  ladies  ?  2.  We  got  up  at  six ; 
after  [the]  coffee  we  visited  St.  Stephen's  church.  3.  A  little  girl 
followed  us.  4.  What  is  your  name,  little  girl  ?  My  name  is  Ne- 
rina.  5.  We  stopped  at  the  bookseller's,  to  buy  some  books.  6.  The 
bookseller  spoke  to. us  in  Italian;  we  spoke  to  him  in  English. 
7.  Italian  is  not  spoken  much  in  the  United  States.  8.  If  Nerina 
did  not  remember  the  lessons,  she  would  feel  ashamed.  9.  It  is 
said  that  soldiers  are  glad  to  die  for  their  country.  10.  Nerina 
washes  her  hands  and  puts  on  a  white  dress  before  taking  lunch. 

1 1 .  She  has  two  white  dresses ;  she  does  not  like  (to)  soil  them. 

12.  Nerina  is  happy;  two  women  friends  of  her  [the]  mother 
have  arrived.  13.  She  shows  them  in,  and  says,  "  Good  afternoon, 
ladies  !  Be  seated  !  " 


LESSON  XIII 


POSSESSIVES 


107.  Possessives.    a. 

The  forms  of  the  p 

;ive  are  as  follows : 

Singular 

Plural 

il  mio 
la  mia 

i  miei  ^ 

:    i-my,  mme 
lemiej     ^ 

il  tuo 
la  tua 

;^"9i|thy,  thine 
letuej     ^ 

il  suo 
la  sua 

i  suQi  "1   r  his, 

le  sue  J  \  her,  hers 

81 


107-108  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

Singular  Plural 

il  n9Stro  i  nostri    1 

1  .  ,  ^our,  ours 

la  nQstra  le  n9stre  J 

il  VQStro  i  V9stri    ^ 

la  vQstra  le  V9stre/^      '  ^°^^^ 


il  loro  i  loro 

la  loro  le  loro 


I  their,  theirs 


I.  Both  words  may  precede  the  noun;  or  the  article  may  pre- 
cede and  the  possessive  follow,  suggesting  intimacy  in  possession. 
I  mi§i  libri ;  i  libri  mif i  My  books ;  my  very  own  books 

b.  A  possessive  has  the  number  and  person  of  the  pos- 
sessor, but  (except  loro,  invariable)  agrees  as  to  ending,  in 
number  and  gender,  with  the  thing  possessed.  The  context 
usually  makes  clear  the  gender  of  the  possessor. 

Hanno  venduto  la  lore  casa  They  have  sold  their  house 

Maria  l?gge  11  sue  libro  Mary  is  reading  her  book 

Giovanni  ha  perdu  to  la  sua  gram-  John  has  lost  his  grammar 
matica 

*i.  When  there  might  be  ambiguity,  as  when  the  possessor  is 
not  the  subject  of  the  sentence,  di  lui,  di  lei,  di  loro,  with  the  arti- 
cle, may  be  substituted  for  the  possessive  of  the  third  person. 

Mise  11  sue  an^Uo  nel  dito  di  l§i  He  put  his  ring  on  her  finger 

Mi  disse  che  il  suo  figliu9lo  aveva      He  told  me  that  his  little  boy  had 
perduto  il  di  lui  orol9gio  lost  his  (i.e.,  the  boy's)  watch 

c.  The  possessive  'its,'  when  modifying  a  noun  in  the 
accusative  case,  is  translated  by  ne  and  the  definite  article. 
There  is  the  city !  I  see  its  towers      Ecco  la  cittk !  Ne  vedo  le  torri 

108.  The  definite  article  is  omitted  from  the  possessive, 
a.  When  it  modifies  a  noun  of  family  relationship,  other- 
wise unmodified  and  in  the  singular.    (Augmentatives  and 
diminutives  count  as  modifiers,  cf.  228.) 

82 


POSSESSIVES  §  108 

Suo  padre  mori  combatt^ndo  per         His  father  died  fighting  for  his 
la  patria  country 

I  mi?i  figliu9li  sono  tutti  maschietti      My  children  are  all  boys 

La  mia  sor^lla  maggiore  abita  a      My  eldest  sister  lives  in  Paris 
Parigi 

II  tuo  fratellino  sta  piang^ndo  Your  little  brother  is  crying 

b.  When  it  stands  alone  in  the  predicate,  with  the  force 
of  an  adjective ;  unless  it  distinguishes  the  possession  of  one 
person  from  that  of  another. 

Quella  casa  e  sua  That  house  is  his  (or  hers) 

But 

Questo  libro  h  il  mio ;  quell'  altro      This   book   is   mine ;    that   other 
e  il  vgstro  one  is  yours 

c.  When  preceded  by  a  demonstrative  or  interrogative 

adjective,  a  numeral,  or  an  adjective  of  quantity. 

Questa  sua  casa  This  house  of  his 

Qual  suo  libro  ?  Which  book  of  his  ? 

Tre  sor^lle  sue  (or,  Tre  delle  sue      Three  sisters  of  his,  three  of  his 

sor^lle)  sisters 

Molti  libri  sugi  Many  of  her  books 

*d.  When  it  is  part  of  a  title. 
Sua  Maesta,  Loro  Altezze  His  Majesty,  Their  Highnesses 

*e.  Usually  in  the  vocative,  the  possessive  more  often  fol- 
lowing the  noun. 

Quello  che  vi  dico,  amico  mio,  ^      What  I  am  telling  you,  my  friend, 
vero  is  true 

*/.  In  certain  set  phrases. 

Per  fortuna  Ipro  By  their  good  luck 

In  casa  n9stra  In  our  house 

In  camera  mia  In  my  room 

A  loro  V9lta  In  their  turn 

Con  mia  gran  sorpresa  To  my  great  surprise 

83 


§§108-109  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

g.  'A  friend  of  mine'  and  similar  expressions  are  ren- 
dered un  amico  mio,  un  mio  amico,  etc. 
Tre  libri  su9i  Three  books  of  his 

Una  propriety  mia  An  estate  I  own 

Lo  vede  da  un  suo  speciale  punto      He  sees  it  from  a  special  point  of 

dl  vista  view  of  his  own 

109.  In  accordance  with  the  greater  impersonality  of  the 
Italian  language  (cf.  106,  c),  the  definite  article  is  substituted 
for  the  possessive  with  nouns  describing  parts  of  the  body  or 
clothing,  and  often  with  nouns  of  family  relationship,  espe- 
cially babbo  and  mamma.  If  ownership  is  indicated,  it  is  by 
means  of  the  dative  conjunctive  pronoun  (cf.  105,  c).  In 
certain  familiar  phrases,  even  the  article  is  omitted. 

Mette  il  denaro  in  tasca  He  puts  the  money  in  his  pocket 

Mi  sono  levato  il  capp^llo  I  have  taken  off  my  hat 

Mi  du9le  la  t^sta  My  head  aches 

Hanno  sparato  e  gli  hanno  strap-      They  shot,  and  shot  away  one  of 

pato  un  braccio  his  arms 

Mi    racconta   d'  aver   perduto  la      He  tells  me   of  having  lost  his 

madre  mother 

Mettiti  i  guanti             .  Put  on  your  gloves 

Si  leva  il  soprabito  He  takes  off  his  overcoat 

*a.  Pr9prio  'own'  may  intensify  the  possessive,  or  be  used  in- 
stead of  it. 
Ognuno  ama  la  propria  patria  Every  one  loves  his  own  country 

*ft.  Altrui,  which  always  follows  the  noun  in  prose,  is  an  indefi- 
nite possessive,  meaning  'of  others.* 

Agisce  s^mpre  per  il  b^ne  altrui  He  acts  always  for  the  good  of 

others 
Lo  scendere  e  il  salir  per  1'  altrui      Going  up  and  down  the  stairs  of 
scale  others 

*c.  The  possessives  are  used  alone,  with  the  noun  understood, 
in  a  great  variety  of  familiar  phrases.    Here  are  a  few  examples : 

84 


POSSESSIVES 


§109 


Saluta  i  tugi  da  parte  dei  mi§i 

Ha  molte  persone  dalla  sua 
Sp^ndo  il  mio  nel  viaggiare 
Ne  fa  tr9ppe  delle  sue 

H9  avuto  le  mie ;  avrai  le  tue 

Lavoro  sul  mio 


Greet  your  family  on  behalf  of 

mine 
He  has  many  persons  on  his  side 
I  spend  my  money  in  travel 
He  does  too  many  of  his  charac- 
teristic ill  turns 
I  have  had  my  troubles  ;  you  will 

have  yours 
I  labor  on  my  own  land 


VOCABULARY 


il  babbo  papa 

il  bQsco  wood 

il  cappfUo  hat 

la  CQsa  thing 

il  guanto  glove 

il  paese  village,  country,  nation 

il  panif  re  basket 

il  passo  step 

la  sorellina  litrie  sister  {dimin.) 

d^stro  right 

maggiore  elder 

sinistro  left 

svogliato  listless,  unwilling 


levarsi  take  off  (clothing) 
raccomandare    urge,   recommend; 

takes  a  before  a  word  meaning 

a  person,  di  before  a  verb 
sgridare  scold 
smarrirsi  lose  one's  way 
far  tardi  be  late 
invece  on  the  contrary,  instead 
potrf  bbero  {3  pi.  past  fut.  of  po- 

tere,  irr)  might 
ti?ne  (J  sg.  pres.  indie,  ^tenere, 

irr)  holds 
vanno  {3  pi.  pres.  indie,  ^andare, 

irr)  go 


EXERCISE 


I.  Giannetta  e  Marcellina  vanno  alia  scuola  del  paese.  2.  Non 
si  mettono  i  guanti.  3.  Giannetta  porta  i  loro  libri,  e  Marcellina 
tiene  il  paniere  con  la  mano  sinistra.  4.  La  mamma  e  il  babbo 
raccomandano  alle  due  bambine  di  non  fermarsi  nel  bosco.  5.  Po- 
trebbero  smarrirsi  e  far  tardi  a  scuola.  6.  Giannetta,  la  maggiore, 
e  una  bambina  giudiziosa;  Marcellina,  invece,  e  una  piccola  svo- 
gliata.    7.  Ha  sempre  tante  cose  da  vedere,  che  si  ferma  ogni  cinque 

8s 


§110  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

passi.  8.  Non  bisogna  far  tardi !  —  dice  Giannetta  —  II  babbo  e 
la  mamma  ci  sgrideranno.  9.  Si  levi  il  cappello,  Signorina.  Non  si 
metta  i  guanti.  10.  Abbiamo  i  nostri  libri,  e  il  loro  paniere,  e  molte 
cose  loro.  11.  Mia  madre  e  dalla  mia  sorella  maggiore.  12.  Dov'  e 
il  sue  paniere  ?    £  sulla  mia  tavola. 

II 

I..  Marcellina  is  holding  my  basket  in  her  right  hand.  2.  Do  not 
be  late  to  school,  Marcellina;  your  father  and  mother  will  scold 
you.  3.  My  sisters  live  in  Florence,  but  they  are  now  at  Clara's. 
4.  Marcellina  will  stop  every  three  steps,  but  her  elder  sister  would 
not  stop.  5.  The  little  girls  would  lose  their  way  if  they  should 
stop  in  the  wood.  6.  Marcellina  says  to  her  sister,  '*  We  have  not 
lost  our  way."  7.  Does  he  like  his  school .?  8.  Is  this  your  house  ? 
Yes,  it  is  ours.  9.  My  mother  is  talking  with  my  elder  brother. 
10.  I  take  off  my  gloves.  I  have  lost  my  hat.  1 1.  My  brothers  are 
going  to  school.  12.  There  is  their  house.  13.  Have  they  bought 
yours  ?    14.    My  brothers  say  the  pupil  has  a  book  of  mine. 


LESSON  XIV 
CHANGES  OF  LETTERS.    RELATIVE  PRONOUNS 

110.  Changes  of  Letters  in  Regular  Verbs. 

a.  Verbs  of  the  first  conjugation  ending  in  -care  and  -gare, 
-ciare  and  -glare,  retain  throughout  the  conjugation  that  sound 
of  c  or  g  which  is  heard  in  the  infinitive. 

1 .  Verbs  in  -care  and  -gare  insert  h  after  c  or  g  before  e  or  i : 
paghi,  cercher9. 

2.  Verbs  in  -ciare  and  -giare  omit  i  before  e  or  i :  lasceremo, 
mangi,  cominciamo. 

86 


CHANGES  OF  LETTERS  §§110-111 

b.  Other  verbs  in  -iare  drop  the  i,  if  unaccented,  before 
another  i. 

Studio,  studi,  studino ;  but  spio,  spii,  spiino 

c.  Verbs  of  the  second  conjugation  in  ^ere  and  %ere  do 
not  retain  this  sound  of  c  and  g  except  where  it  would  occur 
naturally. 

Vincere  gives  vinco,  vincono,  vince,  vinciamo,  etc. 

d.  Some  verbs,  as  giocare,  rotare,  sonare,  usually  change  o 
of  the  stem  to  uo  wherever  it  takes  the  accent. 

Sugno,  soner^ ;  giuQca,  giochiamo 

I.  Conversely,  some  verbs  like  cu$cere,  mu9vere,  drop  the 
u  of  the  infinitive  stem  wherever  the  syllable  containing  it 
does  not  take  the  accent. 

CuQCO,  cocesti ;  mugve,  moY^ndo 

111.  a,  A  number  of  third-conjugation  verbs  do  not 
have,  in  the  present  indicative,  present  subjunctive,  and  im- 
perative, the  inchoative  forms  in  -isco  etc.  Such  a  verb  is 
the  model,  sentire,  given  below. 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive  Imperative 

s^nto  sentiamo  s^nta         sentiamo  sentiamo 

s^nti  sentite  s^nta         sentiate  s^nti  sentite 

s^nte  sfntono  s^nta         sfntano  s^nta         sfntano 

b.  The  following  are  conjugated  like  sentire : 

aprire  (/rr.)  open  fuggire  flee  soffrire  suffer 

boUire  boil  offrire  (I'rr.)  offer  tossire  cough 

coprire  (I'rr.)  cover  pentirsi  repent  vestire  dress 

cucire  (irr.)  sew  seguire  follow  divertire  amuse 

dormire  sleep  servire  serve 

87 


§§111-114  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

*c.  The  following  (and  others)  are  conjugated  both  ways  : 

applaudire  applaud  mentire  lie  sortire  go  out 

assorbire    absorb  nutrire  nourish 

comparire  appear  partire  depart 

I.  Partire  and  sortire  use  the  inchoative  form  (in  -isco  etc.)  only 
when  transitive. 

112.  Uses  of  da.    The  preposition  da  is  used  before  nouns 

referring  to  persons,  without  article,  to  mean  'like,'  *in  the 

character  of,'  'characteristic  of,'  'as.*    (Cf.  162,  c.) 

Ha  agito  da  u9mo  He  has  acted  like  a  man 

S'  h  travestito  da  mgnaco  He  has  disguised  himself  as  a  monk 

113.  The  subjunctive  is  used  in  dependent  clauses  after 

verbs  of  wishing  and  willing ^  when  the  subject  is  not  the 

same  as  that  of  the  independent  clause.    (With  the  same 

subject,  the  infinitive  is  used.) 

DesTdero  che  Lf  i  l§gga  questo  libro      I  wish  you  to  read  this  book 
Vogliamo  che  lo  faccia  We  wish  him  to  do  it 

114.  The  Relative  Pronoun  (cf.  189).    These  forms  are 
used  of  either  persons  or  things : 

a,  Che  'who,'  'whom,'  'which,'  'that';  invariable,  used  as 

the  subject  or  object  of  a  verb.    It  cannot  be  omitted. 

L'  u9mo  ch'  io  h9  veduto  The  man  whom  I  saw 

L'  ugmo  che  m'  ha  veduto  The  man  who  saw  me 

I  fiori  che  compro  The  flowers  I  am  buying 

&.  Cui   'of   which,'    'for,'   'by,'    'with'   (etc.)    'whom'   or 
'which  ';  invariable,  used  after  prepositions.  'Whose'  is  il  cui. 

II  signore   a   cui  h9  venduto   la      The  gentleman  to  whom  I  sold 
casa  the  house 

Lo  sci9pero  di  cui  tutti  parlano  in      The  strike  of  which  everybody  is 
questo  momento  talking  at  this  moment 

88 


RELATIVE  PRONOUNS 


§114 


c.  II  quale  (la  quale,  i  quali,  le  quali),  inflected,  used  in  all 
cases,  and  frequently  instead  of  cui  after  prepositions,  espe- 
cially for  clearness.  Its  article  is  contracted  with  the  prepo- 
sitions (cf.  75). 


La  signora  alia  quale  ha  dato  il 

libro 
La  figlia  dell'  avvocato,  la  quale 

abita  a  Firf  nze 


The  lady  to  whom  you  have  given 

the  book 
The  lawyer's  daughter,  who  lives 

at  Florence.    (La  quale,  being 

feminine,  indicates  the  daughter, 

not  the  father.) 


VOCABULARY 


la  lingua  language 

la  lira  lira  (twenty  cents) 

il  maf  stro  teacher 

la  penna  a  serbatpio  fountain  pen 

lo  studio  study 

la  tasca  {pi.  tasche)  pocket 

il  viso  face 

difficile  difficult 
facile  easy 
scQrso  last,  past 

a  P9C0  a  pgco  little  by  little 


avvezzarsi  a  accustom  oneself  to 
cercare    look   for;    w.  di    try   to 

{w.  inf.) 
divertirsi  amuse  oneself 
dormire  sleep 
lasciare  leave,  let 
mancare  {w.  dat.)  be  lacking 
pagare  pay,  pay  for 
sentire  hear,  feel,  smell 
servirsi  di  make  use  of 
studiare  study 
vendere  sell 
vestirsi  dress  oneself 


EXERCISE 


I.  Comprammo  quella  casa  la  settimana  scorsa;  paghiamola 
presto.  2.  Cominceremo  a  studiare  alle  otto ;  lasceremo  i  nostri 
libri  sullo  scaffale.  3.  Metta  il  pane  nel  paniere ;  non  lo  lasci  sul 
piatto.  4.  Lo  studio  d'  una  lingua  e  difficile  ;  bisogna  avvezzarsi  a 
poco  a  poco  a  parlarla.  5.  Giannetta  si  lavo  il  viso  quando  tomb 
da  scuola.  6.  Suo  padre  gli  da  tre  lire.  Si  matte  il  denaro  in  tasca. 
7.  Luigi  ha  perduto  i  guanti ;    cerchiamoli.    8.  M'  ha  parlato  da 

89 


§115  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

padre.  9.  Ho  perduto  la  mia  penna  a  serbatoio.  Si  serva  della 
mia.  10.  Se  gli  vendo  1'  orologio,  lo  paghera  domani  ?  No,  perche 
gli  manca  il  denaro.  11.  II  maestro  non  desidera  che  gli  scolari 
lascino  lo  studio  per  divertirsi.  12.  Se  si  divertissero  troppo,  man- 
cherebbe  loro  il  tempo  per  studiare. 

II 

I .  He  sold  me  his  house  last  week ;  when  shall  I  pay  for  it  ? 
2.  I  am  finishing  my  work,  but  my  sister  sleeps.  3.  If  he  were  a 
soldier,  he  would  dress  like  a  soldier.  4.  We  should  leave  Italy  if 
we  did  not  lack  money.  5.  Let  us  try  to  amuse  ourselves.  6.  They 
wish  their  mother  to  sleep.  7.  He  puts  in  his  pocket  the  four  lire 
with  which  he  will  pay  for  his  book.  8.  The  pupils  are  studying 
the  Italian  language,  and  are  accustoming  themselves  little  by  little 
to  speak  it.  9.  Our  teacher  has  lost  his  fountain  pen ;  let  us  look 
for  it.  10.  Giannetta  will  wash  her  face  and  hands  before  taking 
lunch.  II.  I  am  trying  to  accustom  myself  to  make  use  of  my 
fountain  pen.  12.  Joseph  would  make  use  of  his  if  he  studied. 
13.  He  does  not  like  study,  but  he  wishes  his  brother  to  study. 

LESSON  XV 
COMPARISON 

115.  Comparatives,  a.  The  comparative  is  formed  by  plac- 
ing pill  *more,'  or  meno  'less,'  before  an  adjective  or  adverb. 

b.  'Than'  is  di  before  nouns,  pronouns,  or  numerals, 
II  padre  ^  piu  grande  del  figlio  The  father  is  taller  than  the  son 

I  n9stri  vicini  sono  piu  ricchi  di  noi  Our  neighbors  are  richer  than  we 
H9  piu  di  tre  palle  I  have  more  than  three  balls 

But  changes  to  che  — 

I.  After  piuttgsto,  prima,  meaning  'rather,'  'sooner.' 
Prender^i  quella  casa  piutt9sto  che      I  should  take  that  house  sooner 

questa  than  this 

90 


COMPARATIVES  §§  115-116 

k2.  When  the  comparison  is  between  two  nouns. 

Mi  piace  piu  la  campagna  che  la  I  like  the  country  better  than  the 

cittk  city 

Non  piu  bevve  del  fiume  acqua  He  drank  from  the  river  not  more 

che  sangue  water  than  blood 

c.  'Than'  is  che  before  adjectives,  adverbs,  prepositional 
phrases,  infinitives,  and  participles. 

L'  avaro  h  piu  ricco  che  savio  The  miser  is  more  rich  than  wise 

M^glio  tardi  che  mai  Better  late  than  never 

I  giovani  si  pre9CCupano  piu  delle  Young  people  think  more  of  what 

eleganze    della    vita    che    dello  is    fashionable    than    of    their 

studio  studies 

d.  'Than'  is  che  non  or  di  quel  che  before  inflected  verbs. 

Lo  spensierato  parla  piu  che  npn      The  thoughtless  man  talks  more 
(or  di  quel  che)  p?nsa  than  he  thinks 

116.  The  Superlative,  a.  The  superlative  is  formed  by 
prefixing  the  definite  article  to  the  comparative,  from  which 
it  may  be  distinguished  sometimes  only  by  the  context. 

La  sua  stanza  h  la  piu  grande  Her  room  is  the  largest  (or  the 

larger,    (f  only   two    are    in 
question) 

b.  When  the  superlative  follows  the  noun,  as  it  may,  the 
article  of  the  superlative  is  omitted. 

Agosto    h    il    mese   piu    caldo  August  is  the   hottest  month  of 

deir  anno  the  year 

c.  The  preposition  used  with  the  superlative  is  fra,  some- 
times di. 

Ognuno  crede  che  la  sua  patria  sia      Every  one  thinks  his  own  country 
la  piu  b?lla  fra  (or  di)  tutte  the  most  beautiful  of  all 

91 


}§  116-117 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


d.  An  absolute  superlative  is  formed  by  adding  the  suffix 

-issimo  to  the  stem  of  the  adjective ;  -mente  may  be  added  to 

the  feminine  of  this,  to  make  an  absolute  superlative  for  the 

adverb.    These  are  in  constant  use  in  conversation. 

La  villa  del  suo  amico  e  bella?      Your   friend's  villa  is   beautifuL? 
£  bellissima  Very  beautiful  indeed 

I.  The  adjectives  acre,  cflebre,  integre,  salubre  (and  in  poetry, 
misero)  have  an  absolute  superlative  in  -frrimo :  celebfrrimo. 

117.  Irregular  Comparisons,    a.  The  following  words  are 
compared  irregularly : 

migliQre 


buQno  'good' 
bfne  'well' 

cattivo  '  bad ' 
male  'badly' 
alto 'high' 
basso  'low' 
grande  '  large ' 
piccolo  '  small ' 
molto  'much' 
pQCO  'little' 


mfglio 


peggipre 


P?ggio 


supenore 


inferipre 


maggipre 


minQre 


piU 


m^no 


il  migliore 

V  Qttimo 
11  m?  glio 
benissimo 
ottimamente 
11  peggiore 
11  pf  ssimo 

11  pfggio 
pessimamente 

11  superlore 
11  spinmo 

V  inferipre 
1'  infimo 

11  maggiore 
11  massimo 

il  mlnpre 
11  minimo 
11  plU 
moltissimo 

11  meno 
pochissimo 


h.  All  these  may  be  compared  also  regularly,  but  some- 
times with  different  meanings. 

92 


COMPARATIVES  §§  117-119 

1.  The  irregular  forms  of  bugno,  cattivo,  bfne,  and  male  are  the 
more  usual.  But  9ttimo,  pfssimo,  etc.,  are  absolute  rather  than 
comparative. 

2.  Maggiore  and  minore  usually  mean  *  older'  and  'younger.* 
The  regular  forms  refer  to  size. 

*3.  Superiore  and  inferiore  are  oftener  figurative,  the  regular 
forms  literal. 

*4.  M^glio  is  used  as  an  adjective  in  the  predicate  after  fssere, 
and  still  more  widely  in  familiar  speech  ;  similarly  p^ggio,  but  more 
familiarly. 

Scelgo  questo ;  h  il  m^glio  I  choose  this ;  it  is  the  best 

Fra  i  tiranni  dell'  Italia  mod^rna,      Among  the  tyrants  of  modern  Italy 
i  Borboni  franc  i  p?ggio  the  Bourbons  were  the  worst 

118.  Subjunctive  after  Superlative.  The  subjunctive  is 
required  after  the  superlative  and  'only'  in  relative  clauses. 

Ven^zia  h  la  piu  bella  cittk  ch'  io  Venice  is  the  most  beautiful  city  I 

abbia  mai  vista  have  ever  seen 

II  quarto  reggimento  h  il  solo  che  The  fourth  regiment  is  the  only 

sia  partite  one  that  has  left 

119.  Comparison  of  Equality.  This  is  expressed  by  tanto 
.  .  .  quanto,  cosi  .  .  .  come,  'as  .  .  .  as,'  'so  .  .  .  so.' 

II  mio  amico  h  tanto  alto  quanto      My  friend  is  as  tall  as  my  brother 

mio  frat?llo 
Non  e  cosi  b^lla  cpme  sua  sor^lla        She  is  not  so  beautiful  as  her  sister 

a.  Tanto  and  cosi  are  more  often  omitted. 
L'arg^nto  non  h  caro  quanto  r9ro       Silver  is  not  so  precious  as  gold 

VOCABULARY 

V  Amfrica  (/.)  America  V  Inghilt^rra  (/)  England 

V  Austria  (/)  Austria  il  pensi§ro  thought 
11  conquistatore  conqueror  la  pratica  practice 
Pereditll  (/)  heritage  il  pr?gio  value 

93 


§119  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

lo  scrittore  writer  tedesco  German 

la  Spagna  Spain                      ^  vinto    conquered    (^from    vincere, 

la  stQiia  history  irr) 

lo  strumento  instrument  cosi  thus,  so,  as 

dfve  J  sg.  pres.  indie,  of  dovere 

imporre  {irr.)  impose ;  imponeva,  (/rr.)  must 

3  ^S'  P'^^^  descr.  indie.  legg^ndo  pres.  part,   of  If  ggere 

ricevere  receive  {irr)  read 

tenere  {irr.)  hold  esprime    3    sg.   pres.    indie,   of 

esprimere  {irr.)  express 

splo  only  vede  j  sg.  pres.  indie,  of  vedere 

spagnuQlo  Spanish,  Spaniard  {irr)  see 

tanto  so,  so  much,  {pi)  so  many  e  via  dic?ndo  and  so  on,  et  cetera 

EXERCISE 


I.  La  lingua  e  lo  strumento  col  quale  1' uomo  esprime  i  suoi 
pensieri.  2.  Perche  ogni  nazione  deve  tenere  in  gran  pregio  la  pro- 
pria lingua  ?  3.  Perchfe  1'  ha  ricevuta  come  sacra  eredit^  dai  padri, 
ed  e  il  piii  nubile  patrim^nio  di  un  popolo.  4.  Leggendo  la  storia, 
si  vede  come  i  conquistatori  cercarono  di  imporre  ai  popoli  vinti  la 
propria  lingua.  5.  Cosi  perderebbero  il  carattere  della  nazionalitk. 
6.  Cosi  Roma  imponeva  la  lingua  latina,  la  Spagna  la  lingua  spa- 
gnuola,  r  Inghilterra  la  lingua  inglese,  F  Austria  la  lingua  tedesca, 
e  via  dicendo.  7.  La  lingua  spagnuola  non  e  difficile  quanto  1'  in- 
glese ;  r  inglese  e  piu  facile  della  tedesca.  8.  Qual  e  la  pili  grande 
fra  tutte  le  nazioni  ?    9.  Gli  scrittori  pensano  piu  che  non  parlano. 

10.  Qnesto  e  il   solo   libro   tedesco   che  si   trovi   sullo    scaffale. 

11.  Desideriamo  che  nostra  sorella  parli  inglese,  ma  le  manca  la 
pratica. 

II 

I.  Language  is  the  instrument  of  the  w^riter.  2.  The  English 
language  is  spoken  in  the  United  States.  3.  The  history  of  Spain 
is  longer  than  that  of  America.     4.  Reading  it,  one  sees  why 

94 


THE  VERB  AVERE 


120 


conquerors  try  to  impose  their  own  language  on  conquered  peoples. 
5.  Are  soldiers  greater  than  writers  ?  6.  The  German  language  is 
the  most  difficult  of  all.  7.  The  Spaniard  would  have  been  a  better 
soldier  if  he  had  been  better  paid.  8.  Winter  is  colder  than  autumn. 
9.  My  little  sister  sings  more  than  she  talks.  10.  My  brother  and 
my  sisters  have  returned  from  Rome,  and  have  brought  me  many 
Italian  books.    1 1 .  This  is  the  greatest  war  that  has  ever  (mai)  been. 

12.  They  will  leave  their  books  on  the  shelf ;  let  us  look  for  them. 

13.  We  like  our  own  house  ;  it  is  larger  than  yours  ;  it  is  rather  large 
than  beautiful. 

LESSON  XVI 

THE  VERB  AVEBE 

120.  The  Verb  avere  *have.' 


INFINITIVE 


Present 

Perfect 

avere 

avere  avuto 

PARTICIPLE 

av^ndo                                                          av^ndo  avuto 

INDICATIVE 

Present                                              Past  Descriptive 

h9              abbiamo 

avevo       avevamo 

hai             avete 

avevi        avevate 

ha             hanno 

aveva       avevano 

Future 

Past  Absolute 

avro           avremo 

§bbi          avemmo 

avrai          avrete 

avesti       aveste 

avrk          avranno 

?bbe         fbbero 

Present  Perfect 

Second  Past  Perfect 

h9  avuto,  etc. 

^bbi  avuto,  etc. 

Past  Perfect 

Future  Perfect 

avevo  avuto,  etc.                  ■ 

avro  avuto,  etc. 

95 


§§  120-121 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Past  Future 
avr^i  avremmo 

avresti       avreste 
avr^bbe     avr|bbero 


Past  Future  Perfect 
avr^i  avuto,  etc. 


Present 
abbia         abbiamo 
abbia         abbiate 
abbia         abbiano 

Past 
avessi        avessimo 
avessi        aveste 
avesse        avessero 


IMPERATIVE 

abbiamo 
abbi      abbiate 
abbia     abbiano 

SUBJUNCTIVE 


Present  Perfect 
abbia  avuto,  etc. 


Past  Perfect 
avessi  avuto,  etc. 


a.  The  irregular  past  absolute  of  avere  may  be  taken  as 

the  model  of  all  irregular  past  absolutes.    It  will  be  noticed 

that  three  forms  are  regular  :  the  second  person  singular  and 

the  first  and  second  plural.    For  example  Ifggere  *read': 

l^ssi  leggemmo 

leggesti     leggeste 
l^sse         Ifssero 

6.  Of  very  many  verbs  the  past  participle  also  is  irregular,  and 
their  principal  parts  are  the  infinitive,  the  first  person  singular  of 
the  past  absolute,  and  the  past  participle,  as  Ifggere,  l^ssi,  Iftto. 

121.  The  compound  tenses  of  all  transitive  and  some 
intransitive  verbs  are  conjugated  with  avere. 

a.  The  most  important  intransitives  conjugated  with  avere  are  — 
bollire  boil  passeggiare  take  a  walk         tremare  tremble 

dimorare  dwell         sbadigliare  yawn  viaggiare  travel 

dormire  sleep  starnutire  sneeze 

96 


THE  VERB  AVERE 


§§  121-123 


*6.  Certain  other  verbs,  such  as  tacere  '  be  silent '  and  vivere 
Mive/  may  be  conjugated  with  either:  with  avere  when  the  idea 
of  action  predominates,  with  essere  when  the  idea  of  condition  is 
more  important. 

122.  The  past  participle  with  avere  usually  agrees  with  a 

preceding  direct  object.    Agreement  is  customary  when  the 

object  is  a  conjunctive  pronoun. 

Ho  scritto  (or  scritte)  due  lettere  I  have  written  two  letters 

Ne  ho  scritte  due  I  have  written  two  of  them 

Veda  questi  cavalli.    Li  abbiamo  See  these  horses.  We  have  bought 

comprati  oggi  them  to-day 

La  catena  che  mi  ha  prestata  The  chain  you  lent  me 


123.  Special  Uses  of  avere, 
tive  means  'have  to.' 


a,  Avere  da  with  the  infini- 


Ho  da  scrlvere  tre  lettere  "^  ^  ,  .       , 

Tj'        ,_^^        ,       \         M  have  to  wnte  threeletters 

H9  tre  If  ttere  da  scnvere  J 


h.  Idioms  with  ccoerex 

Aver  caldo 

Aver  freddo 

Aver  fame 

Aver  sete 

Aver  sonno 

Aver  paura  (di) 

Aver  soggezione 

Aver  ragione 

Aver  t9rto 

Aver  furia,  aver  fretta 

Ha  fame.? 
Avevano  sonno? 
Non  h9  freddo 
Ha  ragione 
Abbiamo  paura 
H9  furia 


To  be  too  warm 

To  be  too  cold 

To  be  hungry 

To  be  thirsty 

To  be  sleepy 

To  be  afraid  (of) 

To  be  nervous,  embarrassed 

To  be  right 

To  be  wrong,  be  in  the  wrong 

To  be  in  a  hurry 

Are  you  hungry .? 
Were  they  sleepy? 
I  am  not  cold 
You  are  right 
We  are  afraid 
I  am  in  a  hurry 


97 


§124 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


124.  The  Conjunctive  ne.  a.  'Some'  or  'any,'  when  pro- 
nouns (cf.  77),  are  translated  by  ne.  It  means  also  'of  it,' 
'of  them,'  and  is  equivalent  to  di  plus  a  personal  pronoun. 

Avete  delle  mele  ?    N9,  non  ne  h9      Have  you  any  apples  ?    No,  I  have 

not  any 

b.  Ne  must  be  used  in  Italian  when  its  equivalent  would 
not  be  required  in  English ;  and  it  is  sometimes  logically 
pleonastic  in  Italian,  though  rhetorically  emphatic.  Cf.  100,  d. 
Ha  dei  libri  tedeschi  ?  Have  you  any  German  books  ? 
Si,  ne  ho.  Ne  ho  molti  Yes,  I  have.  I  have  a  great  many 
Di  quest'  affare  ne  sai  nulla?                Do  you  know  anything  about  this 

matter  ? 

c.  The  past  participle  agrees  with  ne  (cf.  122). 


VOCABULARY 


il  biglietto  ticket 

la  classe  class 

la  guardia  guard,  conductor 

il  minuto  minute 

il  posto  place,  room 

lo  scompartimento  compartment 

il  tr§no  train 

fra   between,    among;    {with  a 

measure  of  time)  in,  within 
prpnto  ready ;  all  aboard 


dimenticare  (di)  forget  (to) 
If  ggere,  l?ssi,  l§tto  read 
mettere,  misi,  messo  put 
permettere  (di),  permisi,  permesso 

permit 
prfndere,  presi,  preso  take 
scrivere,  scrissi,  scritto  write 
detto  p.p.  of  dire  (zVr.)  say 
pifgo,   ni^nte,   you're   welcome, 

don't  mention  it 


EXERCISE 

I 

I.  Quando  si  parte  per  Roma?  Alle  nove.  2.  Mi  compri  un 
libro,  perche  desidero  di  leggere  in  treno.  3.  Quando  parte  il  primo 
treno  per  Firenze?  Fra  dieci  minuti.  4.  Non  dimentichi  di  scri- 
vermi.  5.  Ha  i  biglietti,  Giovanni?  Ne  ho  due;  mi  manca  un 
biglietto.     6.  Quando   una   persona   dice  —  Grazie — si   risponde 

98 


THE  VERB  A  VERB  §  124 

sempre  —  Prego  !  —  o  —  Niente  !  7 .  Desidera  ch'  io  prenda  i  bi- 
glietti?  Li  mettero  in  tasca.  8.  Ha  trovato  i  biglietti  che  aveva 
perduti  ?  9.  Li  ho  trovati  in  tasca.  Eccoli.  10.  £  questo  uno  scom- 
partimento  di  prima  classe  ?  11.  Si,  ma  non  c'  e  piu  posto,  Signora. 
Mi  permetta  di  offrirle  il  mio.  12.  S' accomodi,  Signora. —  Grazie 
tante  !  —  Prego  1  13.  Quando  si  entra  in  uno  scorn partimento  dove 
ci  sono  delle  persone,  si  dice  —  Permesso  —  o  —  Con  permesso. 
14.  Si  ha  da  prendere  i  biglietti  prima  di  partire.  15.  Si  dice  — 
Due  biglietti  di  prima  classe.  16.  La  guardia  dice  —  Pronti!  — 
e  il  treno  parte. 

II 
(Translate  the  present  perfect  by  the  present  perfect,  the  simple  past 
by  the  past  absolute.) 

I.  Please  give  me  three  first-class  tickets  to  [for]  Rome.  2.  If 
I  had  put  my  tickets  in  my  pocket,  I  should  not  have  lost  them. 
3.  My  train  will  arrive  in  five  minutes.  4.  I  read  your  letter ;  we 
did  not  read  our  books  in  the  train.  5.  If  I  had  my  letters,  I 
should  not  forget  to  read  them.  6.  He  took  their  tickets  and  put 
them  in  his  pocket;  he  did  not  permit  me  to  take  them.  7.  Have 
you  written  the  letters  ?  I  have  written  two  of  them.  8.  \\'e  had 
our   books  in  the  compartment,  but  we  forgot  to  read   them. 

9.  Have  you  any  roses  ?  Yes,  I  have.    I  have  bought  six  to-day. 

10.  The  English  writer  who  lives  in  Florence  wrote  these  books. 
Have  you  read  them  ?  1 1 .  May  I  enter  ?  Is  there  room  in  the 
compartment  ?  12.  The  conductor  would  have  said  "  All  aboard  !  " 
in  two  minutes,  and  we  had  not  yet  found  a  place.  13.  They  had 
to  buy  some  German  books  at  the  bookseller's,  but  he  did  not 
have  any.  14.  Did  we  put?  I  permitted.  You  did  not  read.  They 
wrote.  Did  he  read?  Thou  tookest.  They  took.  15.  Are  you  not 
too  hot  ?    He  is  in  the  wrong.    We  were  sleepy.    I  am  in  a  hurry. 


99 


§§125-126  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

LESSON   XVII 
TWO  CONJUNCTIVE  OBJECTS 

125.  Two  Conjunctive  Objects,  a.  When  two  conjunctive 
objects,  direct  and  indirect,  are  governed  by  the  same  verb, 
the  indirect  (except  loro)  precedes  the  direct.  Both  precede 
the  verb  (cf.  95,  a),  or  are  appended  to  it  (cf.  95,  b). 

Ce  ne  dk  He  gives  us  some 

Ve  Iq  mostra  He  shows  it  to  you 

Faccelo  vedere  Show  it  to  us 

Le  si  avvicin9  He  approached  her 

I.  Loro,  as  always,  follows  the  verb. 
Compra  un  cane,  e  Ip  da  lore  He  buys  a  dog,  and  gives  it  to  them 

b.  When  immediately  followed  by  lo,  11,  la,  le,  or  ne, 

1.  Mi,  ti,  ci,  vi,  and  si  change  i  to  e,  and  become  respectively 
me,  te,  ce,  ve,  and  se. 

Te  li  P9rta  He  carries  them  to  you 

Mi  mostra  una  r9sa  e  me  la  dk  He  shows  me  a  rose  and  gives  it 

to  me 
Pr^nde  il  capp^llo  e  se  lo  mette  He  takes  his  hat  and  puts  it  on 

2.  Gli  and  le  alike  become  glie,  and  are  joined  with  the  follow- 
ing conjunctive  to  make  one  word. 

Finii  la  If  ttera  e  gliela  spedii  I  finished  the  letter  and  sent  it  to 

her,  or  to  him 

126.  Conjunctive  Adverbs,  a.  Ci,  vi,  and  ne  are  adverbs 
as  well  as  pronouns,  ci  and  vi  meaning  'here,'  'there'  (of 
some  place  already  referred  to),  and  ne  meaning  'thence.' 
They  are  conjunctive  in  character,  as  they  precede  the  verb 
(or  are  appended  as  enclitics),  and  are  unemphatic. 

I  GO 


TWO  CONJUNCTIVE  OBJECTS  §  126 

£  stato  da  suo  cugino?  Have  you  been  at  your  cousin's? 

Si,  ne  v^ngo  ora  Yes,  I  am  coming  from  there 

Pensava  di  andarri  io  I    was    thinking   of    going    there 

myself 
Andiamoci  domani  Let  us  go  there  to-morrow 

1.  Ci  and  vi  are  sometimes  equivalent  to  'at  it,'  'to  it,'  taking 
the  place  of  a  plus  a  conjunctive  pronoun  of  the  third  person,  but 
seldom  used  of  persons.  This  use  is  frequent  with  verbs  which 
take  a  before  their  object  (cf.  224,  a). 

P^nsa  al  suo  paese  ?  Are  you  thinking  of  your  country  ? 

Ci  p^nso  s^mpre  I  am  always  thinking  of  it 

2.  Ci  means  a  place  nearer  the  speaker,  but  is  tending  to  super- 
sede vi  in  vivid  speech. 

b.  Ci  and  vi  undergo  the  same  changes  as  adverbs  that 
they  do  as  pronouns  (cf.  125,  b). 

Non  ce  n'  |  There  "isn't  any 

Ve  ne  trQvo  p9chi  I  find  few  of  them  there 

*c.  Rules  for  position  of  these  adverbs  are  intricate : 

1.  Ci  follows  mi,  ti,  vi,  and  precedes  si  and  those  forms  which 
begin  with  L 

Mi  ci  abituo  I  am  accustoming  myself  to  it 

Ci  si  abitua  He  is  accustoming  himself  to  it 

Ce  lo  trov9  He  found  it  there 

2.  Vi  follows  mi,  and  precedes  other  forms. 

Mi  vi  rechero  subito  I  shall  take  my  way  thither  at  once 

Ve  lo  misero  They  put  it  there 

3.  Ne  follows  either  ci  or  vi,  and  precedes  the  forms  beginning 
with  1. 

Ce  ne  andiamo  We  are  going  away 

Ne  lo  t9lse  He  took  it  away  from  there,  from 

him,  etc. 

lOI 


§127 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


127.  Certain  reflexive  verbs  take  a  second  conjunctive  in 
certain  meanings,  as  andarsene  'go  away,'  prfndersela  '-take 
it  ill,'  and  avSrsela  a  male  'be  offended.' 


Andiamocene 
Andatosene,  non  torno  piii 

Essf  ndosela  presa 
Non  se  Pabbia  a  male 


Let  us  go  away 

Having  gone,  he  did  not  return 

again 
Having  taken  it  ill 
Do  not  be  offended 


VOCABULARY 


Pawiso  {m.)  sign,  notice 

il  giornale  newspaper 

Londra  London 

le  notizie  news 

Parigi  Paris 

lo  sportfllo  ticket  window 

la  stazione  railway  station 

il  viaggiatore  passenger,  traveler 

per  favore  please 

pericoloso  dangerous 

secondo  second 

a  t§mpo  in  time 

t§rzo  third 


accompagnare  accompany 
aspettare  wait,  wait  for 
aver  notizie  di  receive  news  from 
aversela  a  male  be  offended 
dare   il   buon   viaggio   a    wish   a 

pleasant  journey  to 
partire  leave  [intf.) 
prf  ndersela  take  it  ill 
sp9rgersi,  spQrsi,  sp^rto  lean  out 
danno  3  pl.pres.  ind.  o/daie  (irr.) 

give 


EXERCISE 


I 


I.  Si  monta  in  treno.  2.  Tutti  si  danno  il  buon  viaggio.  3.  II 
treno  parte  fra  poco  :  tornero  subito  alia  stazione.  4.  Non  bisogna 
far  tardi,  se  vogliamo  arrivarvi  a  tempo.  5.  Non  se  la  prenda. 
6.  Voglio  accompagnarcela.  7.  Dove  si  comprano  i  biglietti  ?  Alio 
sportello.  8.  Mi  dia  due  biglietti  di  seconda  classe  per  Parigi. 
9.  Me  li  dia  subito,  per  favore.  10.  Nei  treni  italiani  c'e  sempre 
un  avviso,  che  dice:  E pericoloso  sporgersi.  11.  Ho  avuto  notizie 
^  di  un  mio  amico.  12.  La  lettera  che  m'  ha  scritta  e  piu  interessante 
che  lunga.    13.  Desidera  ch'io  gliela  legga?    14.  II  suo  viaggio  ^ 

102 


IRREGULAR  VERBS  §128 

stato  pericoloso.    15.  Non  se  V  ha  a  male ;  non  me  ne  ha  parlato. 

16.  Ha  comprato  una  bellissima  villa,  e  desidera  di  mostrarmela. 

17.  Fermiamoci  alia  prima  stazione  per  visitaria. 

II 

I.  Let  John  accompany  them  to  the  station.  2.  Will  he  buy  the 
tickets  ?  Yes,  he  will  buy  them,  and  [will]  bring  them  to  us.  3.  One 
buys  one's  tickets  at  the  ticket-window.  4.  Let  us  return  there  at 
once.  5.  Our  brother  will  not  look  for  us  there,  but  he  will  wait 
for  us  near  the  door.  6.  Wait  a  minute.  Here  are  the  newspapers 
I  have  bought.  7.  I  will  read  them  to  you,  if  you  wish  me  to 
read  them  to  you.  8.  Don't  lean  out,  Marcellina.  9.  Two  trav- 
elers in  the  compartment  are  talking  of  Paris :  they  say  that 
it  is  more  beautiful  than  London.  10.  Do  not  lean  out,  madam. 
It  is  dangerous.  11.  He  buys  a  gun  and  gives  it  to  them. 
12.  They  will  show  it  to  her.  13.  Having  felt  offended,  he  does 
not  wish  me  to  speak  to  him  about  it. 


LESSON  XVIII 

IRREGULAR  VERBS 

128.  Irregular  Verb:  Regular  Forms,  a.  Certain  parts 
of  all  irregular  verbs  except  essere  are  always  regular :  the 
past  descriptive  indicative,  past  subjunctive,  and  present  par- 
ticiple, the  second  person  plural  of  the  present  indicative, 
and  the  second  person  singular  and  first  and  second  persons 
plural  of  the  past  absolute. 

I.  In  addition,  the  second  and  third  persons  singular  and  first 
plural  of  the  present  indicative,  and  the  first  and  second  plural  of 
the  present  subjunctive,  are  regular  in  many  irregular  verbs,  as 
rimanere. 

103 


§§  129-130 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


129.  The  Verb  rimanere  *  remain.' 


Principal  Parts  :    rimanere,  riman^ndo,  rimango,  rimarrg,  rimasi, 
rimasto  {or  rimaso) 

INDICATIVE 


Present 

Past  Descriptive 

rimango 

rimaniamo, 

rimanghiamo          rimanevo,  eU. 

rimani 
rimane 

rimanete 
rimangono 

Future 

Past  Absolute 

rimarr9 

rimarremo 

rimasi 

rimanemmo 

rimarrai 

rimarrete 

rimanesti 

rimaneste 

rimarra 

rimarranno 

rimase 

Past  Future 
rimarrai,  eU. 

IMPERATIVE 

rimaniamo 

rimasero 

rimani                        rimanete 

rimanga                     rimangano 

Present 

SUBJUNCTIVE 

Past 

rimanga 

rimaniamo                    rimanessi,  e^c. 

rimanga 

rimaniate 

rimanga 

rimangano 

130.  Principal  Parts.  To  the  three  principal  parts  of 
regular  verbs  (cf.  91)  must  be  added,  for  wholly  irregular 
verbs,  the  first  person  singular  of  the  present  indicative,  of 
the  past  absolute,  and  of  the  future.  But  of  very  many  (cf. 
120,  b)  the  infinitive,  past  absolute,  and  past  participle  are 
enough,  and  the  present  participle  is  required  only  of  a  few, 
like  porre,  ponfndo,  or  dire,  dicfndo,  where  its  stem  differs  from 
that  of  the  infinitive.   The  system  of  formation  is  as  follows  : 

104 


IRREGULAR  VERBS  §130 

a.  From  the  present  participle : 

1.  The  past  descriptive. 

2.  The  second  person  plural  of  the  present  indicative.  Excep- 
tions :  dire  and  fare,  which  have  dite  and  fate. 

3.  The  second  person  singular,  and  first  and  second  plural,  of  the 
past  absolute.  Exceptions  :  dare  and  stare,  which  change  a  in  the 
stem  to  e  (desti,  stemmo,  etc.). 

4.  The  past  subjunctive.  Exceptions  :  dare  and  stare,  as  above. 

5.  Often,  as  in  rimanere,  the  second  and  third  persons  singular 
and  first  plural  of  the  present  indicative,  and  the  first  and  second 
plural  of  the  present  subjunctive. 

b.  From  the  first  person  singular  of  the  present  indicative  : 

1.  The  third  person  plural  of  that  tense.  Exceptions  :  andare, 
avere,  dare,  fare,  sapere,  stare,  which  have  vanno,  hanno,  danno, 
fanno,  sanno,  stanno. 

2.  The  entire  singular  and  the  third  person  plural  of  the  pres- 
ent subjunctive.  Exceptions  :  avere,  dare,  sapere,  stare,  which 
have  abbia,  dia,  sappia,  stia,  and  abbiano,  diano,  sappiano,  stiano. 

Note.  The  other  persons  of  the  present  indicative  and  subjunctive 
may  be  regular,  as  in  rimanere,  or  not ;  in  any  case  the  first  and  second 
plural  of  the  subjunctive  follow  the  first  plural  of  the  indicative. 

c.  From  the  future,  whether  regular  or  irregular,  is  formed 
the  past  future. 

d.  From  the  first  person  singular  of  the  past  absolute  are 
formed  the  third  singular  and  plural  of  that  tense  (cf.  120,  a). 

e.  The  imperative  of  irregular  verbs  is  identical  with  the 
corresponding  persons  of  the  present  indicative  and  subjunc- 
tive. Exceptions  :  avere,  sapere,  valere,  in  which  it  follows 
wholly  the  subjunctive ;  and  andare,  dare,  dire,  fare,  stare, 
which  have  in  the  second  singular  the  shortened  forms  va*, 
da',  di',  fa',  sta'  (cf.  100,  b). 

105 


§130  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

Note.  Only  as  many  parts  of  a  verb  will  be  found  in  the  special 
vocabularies  as  are  necessary  to  its  conjugation  on  the  principles  just 
explained.  If  the  present  and  future  are  omitted,  they  are  regular.  If 
the  first  person  only  of  the  present  is  given  (unless  marked  /rr.),  then 
the  present  indicative  and  subjunctive  are  to  be  conjugated  like  rimanere. 
Unusual  or  alternative  forms  are  to  be  found  in  the  alphabetical  list  of 
irregular  verbs. 

VOCABULARY 

il  bacio  {pi.  baci)  kiss  inviare  send 

compagno,  -a  companion  mandare  send,  order 

il  dolce  sweetmeat,  dessert  parere,  paio,  pang,  parvi,  parso 

la  lic^nza  leave ;    in  lic^nza  on  seem,  appear 

leave  promettere  (di),  promisi,  promesso 
Pasqua  (/!)  Easter  promise  (to) 

riabbracciare  embrace  again 

d§vi  {2  sg.  pres.  ind.  of  dovfre,  vedere,  vedrg,  vidi,  visto  see 

irr.)  must 

fa'  {2  sg.   imper.   of  fare,   irr)  allegro  joyful,  happy 

make,  have  disperato  heartbroken 

mai  ever  dispiac^nte  sorry 

sta'  {2  sg.  imper.  of  stare,  irr.)  be  francese  French 

vi^ni  {2  sg.  imper.  t?/"  venire)  mille  a  thousand 

sicuro  sure,  safe 


EXERCISE 

I.  Reading  Lesson 

PASQUA 

il  12  aprile,  ig*4         . 
Caro  Lucio  ^-^^^  U  o^i^^^ '  ^ 

La  mamma  e  disperata.  Come  ci  avevi  promesso,  ti  s'  aspettava 
tutti  per  Pasqua ;  si  era  sicuri  che  ti  avrebbero  mandato  in  licenza, 
ed  io  volevo  vederti  vestito  da  soldato.  O  come  mai  non  ti  hanno 
pill  mandato  ?  Povero  Lucio,  anche  tu  devi  essere  molto  dispiacente  1 

II  babbo  e  la  mamma  ti  hanno  inviato  dei  dolci ;  il  giorno  di  Pas- 
qua sta'  allegro  coi  tuoi  compagni,  e  ricordati  di  noi. 

io6 


DARE,  SAPERE,  VOLERE      Qj/^lr^^l 

Fa'  buona  Pasqua,  e  vieni  presto  presto ;    ci  par  milie  anni  a 
tutti  di  riabbracciarti. 
Tanti  bad  del  tuo 

piccolo  f  ratello 

Mino 

II 

I.  The  teacher  showed  me  the  letter  which  the  pupil  had  written. 
2.  What  is  the  name  of  the  little  boy  who  wrote  the  letter?  His 
name  is  Mino.  3.  Have  you  any  sweetmeats,  Mino .?  No,  but  my 
brother  has  promised  to  buy  me  some.  4.  These  are  the  most 
beautiful  roses  I  have  ever  seen.  5.  They  saw  Lucio  (on)  Easter 
Day ;  he  had  returned  on  leave  to  his  brother's.  6.  Do  you  wish 
some  water .?  Yes,  bring  me  a  glass  (of  it).  7.  Here  is  my  fountain 
pen ;  make  use  of  it,  pray  [pure].  8.  If  I  had  made  use  of  it,  I 
should  have  feared  to  [di]  lose  it.  9.  Return  home,  my  brother; 
it  seems  to  me  a  thousand  years  till  I  see  you  again  [rivedere]. 

10.  If  they  returned  to  London,  they  would  remain  there  six  weeks. 

11.  My  sisters  wish  me  to  remain  in  Florence,  because  they  will 
soon  return  thither.  12.  If  we  should  see  some  French  books  at 
the  bookseller's  we  should  not  forget  to  send  you  some. 


LESSON  XIX 
THE  VERBS  DARE,  SAPERE,  VOLERE 
131.  The  Verb  dare  (cf.  130,  e)  'give.' 

Principal  Parts  :  dare,  dando,  dg,  darg,  d§tti  or  di?di,  dato 


Present 

Past 

Present 

Indicative 

Absolute 

Subjunctive 

d9      diamo 

d^tti,  di^di       demmo 

dia        diamo 

dai     date 

desti                 deste 

dia        diate 

dk      danno 

d^tte,  di^de     df  ttero, 
107 

difdero 

dia        diano 

§§131-132  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

*a.  Idioms  with  dare  (for  reference)  : 

dare  addgsso  a  to  hold  to  blame 

dare  a  fare  a  to  give  trouble,  make  work  or  bother  for 

dare  ad  intf  ndere  a  to  make  (one)  believe 

darci  dentro  to  guess  right 

darsi  d'  attorno  to  look  about,  try  every  means 

dar  del  tu,  del  Lei,  etc.,  to  use  tu,  or  Lei 

dar  fuQCo  a  to  set  on  fire 

dare  in  una  risata,  in  singulti  to  burst  into  laughter,  into  sobbing 

dar  la  bugna  ngtte,  11  bugn  giorno  to  say  good  night,  good  day 

dar  la  mano  a  to  shake  hands  with 

dar  luggo  a  to  give  rise  to 

dar  nel  secentismo  to  fall  into  seventeenth-century  affectations 

dar  ngia  a  to  disturb,  annoy 

dar  nelP  gcchio  to  be  conspicuous 

dar  pensifro  a  to  cause  worry  to 

darsi  pensifro  to  worry,  feel  worried 

dar  r§tta  a  to  heed 

dar  sulP  Arno  to  face  on  the  Arno 

132.  The  Verb  sapere  *know.» 

Principal  Parts  :  sapere,  sapf  ndo,  sq,  saprg,  sf  ppi,  saputo 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 


S9 

sappiamo 

sappia 

sappiamo 

sai 

sapete 

sappia 

sappiate 

sa 

sanno 

sappia 

sappiano 

fl.  Special  meanings  of  sapere : 

1.  When  followed  directly  by  the  infinitive,  it  means  'be 
able,'  in  the  sense  of  to  know  how,  to  have  learned  how. 
Non  sa  Ifggere  ne  scrivere  He  cannot  read  or  write 

2.  It  may  mean  Mearn  of.' 

Ho  saputo  la  cosa  stamane  I  learned  of  the  matter  this  morning 

io8 


DARE,  SAPERE,   VOLERE  §§132-134 

3.  Followed  by  di,  it  means  'smack  of  or  'know  about.' 

Calamecca,  nome  che  sa  di  saracino      Calamecca,  a  name  which  smacks 

of  the  Saracen 

Di  st9ria  patria  ne  sai  nulla  ?  Do  you  know  anything  about  the 

history  of  your  country  ? 

4.  Saperae  di  means  'have  to  do  with,'  'hear  of,'  'put  up  with.' 

La  Francia  non  V9lle  mai  sapeme      France  would  never  hear  of  a  tax 
di  una  tassa  di  questo  gf  nere  of  this  kind 

133.  The  Verb  volere  *will,*  *wish,'  'intend/ 

Principal  Parts  :  volere,  vol?ndo,  VQglio,  vorr^,  vglli,  voluto 
Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 

v9glio  vogliamo  V9glia  vogliamo 

vu9i  volete  V9glia  vogliate 

vu9le  v9gliono  V9glia  V9gliano 

fl.  Special  meanings  of  volere  : 

1.  With  ci,  in  the  third  person,  it  means  '  it  takes,'  '  it  needs.' 

Quanto  denaro  ci  vugle  ?  How  much  money  is  needed  ? 

Ci  vorranno  almeno  quindici  anni        It  will  take  at  least  fifteen  years 

2.  Volere  bene  a  means  'love.' 

I  bambini  VQgliono  b§ne  ai  genitori      Children  love  their  parents 

134.  Uses  of  da.  Da  with  a  measure  of  time  means  'for.' 
The  present  tense  is  used  in  this  construction  to  translate 
the  English  present  perfect  (cf.  139,  a). 

Da  quando  abita  a  Livomo  ?  How  long  have  you  been  living  in 

Leghorn  ? 
Da  undici  anni  For  eleven  years 


109 


§134 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


VOCABULARY 


V  ingegno  (m.)  talent,  brains 
la  Igtta  struggle 

la  minaccia  threat 
la  minifra  mine 

V  Qpera  {/.)  work 

la  parte  share,  part,  side 
la  pi§tra  stone 

gipvane  young 
inesauribile  inexhaustible 
nupvo  new 
prezioso  precious 
vivo  alive 

qualora  whenever  (w.  sudj.) 
seic^nto  six  hundred 
in  eta  di  at  the  age  of 


and^  (J  sg./>.  abs.  ^andare,  irr^  go 

ardere,  arsi,  arso  burn 

attrarre,  attra^ndo,  attraggo  {irr), 
attrarrp,  attrassi,  attratto  draw, 
attract 

dotare  endow 

esiliare  exile 

morire,  mugio  (/rr.),  morrp,  morii, 
mgrto  die 

nascere,  nacqui,  nato  be  born 

peregrinare  wander,  go  on  pil- 
grimage 

prevalere,  prevalgo  {irr.\  prevarr^, 
prevalsi,  prevaluto  prevail 

riparare  take  refuge 

scoprire,  scop^rsi,  scop?rto  dis- 
cover :  take  off  one's  hat 


EXERCISE 

I.  Reading  Lesson 
DANTE  ALIGHI]f.RI 

Dante  Alighi^ri,  il  piii  grande  dei  poeti  itahani,  nacque  in  Fi- 
renze  da  nqbile  famiglia  nelF  anno  1265.  Dotato  di  straordinario 
ingegno,  si  diede  con  ardore  agli  studi  e,  giovane  ancora,  incomin- 
cib  a  poetare.  L'  amor  di  patria  lo  attrasse  nelle  lotte,  che  ferve- 
vano  allora  in  Firenze  tra  i  Bianchi  ed  i  Neri,  e  prese  parte  ad 
alcune  battaglie. 

Ma,  prevalendo  i  Neri,  il  sommo  poeta  fu  esiliato  dalla  patria 
con  minaccia  di  essere  arso  vivo,  qualora  fosse  tomato,  e  ando 
peregrinando  per  F  Italia.  Finalmente  riparo  a  Ravenna,  dove 
morl  il  giomo  14  settembre  dell'  anno  132 1  in  eta  di  56  anni. 

Scrisse  molte  opere ;  ma  il  suo  lavoro  piii  rinomato  e  il  poema 
chiamato  Divina  Commedia,  che,  da  seicento  anni  circa,  gl'  Italiani 


no 


DISJUNCTIVES  §  135 

e  gli  studiosi  di  tutto  il  mondo  leggono  e  ammirano,  scoprendovi 
ogni  giorno  nuove  e  sublimi  bellezze,  come  in  una  miniera  inesau- 
ribile  di  pietre  preziose.  Gl'  Italiani  dicono  che  Dante  e  1'  uomo 
pill  straordinario  che  Dio  abbia  mandate  sulla  Terra. 

II 

I.  We  learned  the  news  yesterday.  2.  They  learned  it  this  morn- 
ing. 3.  How  much  time  will  it  take  ?  4.  It  will  take  two  months. 
5.  The  Italian  authors  were  born  in  Florence.  6.  The  Whites  drew 
Dante  into  the  struggle.  7.  I  found  your  newspaper,  and  gave  it 
to  them.  8.  We  did  not  take  part  in  the  battle.  9.  We  burned  his 
books.  10.  He  will  wander  many  years,  and  will  die  in  Ravenna. 
1 1 .  The  two  Americans  died  in  Paris.  1 2 .  Who  discovered  America  ? 
13.  The  young  Italian  will  show  you  a  precious  stone.  14.  We  gave 
it  to  him.  15.  John  will  give  it  to  his  sister.  16.  The  Spaniard 
burned  their  house. 

LESSON  XX 
THE  DISJUNCTIVE  PRONOUN.    THE  VERB  VENIRE 

135.  The  Disjunctive  Pronoun.  The  disjunctive  pronoun 
differs  from  the  conjunctive  in  that  it  is  not,  like  the  latter, 
inseparable  from  the  verb.    It  has  two  cases  : 

a.  The  nominative  (cf.  65),  which  is  used  as  the  subject 
of  the  verb,  when  expressed  (cf.  63,  a). 

h.  The  objective^  which  has  various  uses.    Its  forms  are 

as  follows  : 

me  me  noi  us 

te  thee  vol  you 

lui  him  loro  them  (;//.  and/.) 

l§i  her 

s^  {rejl.)  himself,  herself,  themselves  {m.  and/.) 

Ill 


§136  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

136.  The  Objective  Case  of  the  disjunctive  pronoun  is  used — 

a.  After  prepositions  (cf.  222,  a). 

Vanno   al   mus?o.    Andiamo   cpn      They  are  going  to  the  museum. 

Ipro  Let  us  go  with  them 

V^nga  a  prf  ndere  il  t§  da  me  alle      Come  and  have  tea  with  me  at 

cinque  five 

La  bambina  scrisse  la  If  ttera  da  se      The  little  girl  wrote  the  letter  all 

herself 

I .  Instead  of  con  me,  con  te,  and  con  se,  may  be  used  the  forms 
meco,  teco,  and  seco.  Seco  is  sometimes  equivalent,  where  there  is 
no  ambiguity,  to  con  lui  or  con  lei. 

V9  a  casa.   Vi§n  meco  I  am  going  home,  come  with  me 

b.  Hence,  after  comparatives. 

II  suo  frat^llo  minore  e  piu  grande      His  younger  brother  is  taller  than 
di  lui  he 

c.  As  a  substitute  for  the  conjunctive, 

1.  Where  there  are  two  objects  in  the  same  construction. 

I  ngstri  genitori  amano  te  e  me       Our  parents  love  you  and  me 
Parla  a  lui  ed  a  noi  He  speaks  to  him  and  to  us 

2.  For  clearness,  emphasis,  or  contrast. 

L'  hanno  dato  pr9prio  a  me  They  have  given  it  to  me  myself, 

to  me  in  person.  (The  unem- 
phatic  form  would  be  Me  [for 
Mi]  lo  hanno  dato) 

L9do  te,  Giannetta,  e  biasmo  lui.  I  praise  you,  Giannetta,  and  re- 
prove him 

(a)  Sometimes  the  conjunctive  form  is  retained  redundantly : 
A  me  non  mi  place  1'  arte  mod^rna      I  do  not  care  for  modern  art 

d.  In  the  third  person,  where  the  other  persons  would 
take  the  nominative  case  (cf.  65). 

112 


DISJUNCTIVES  §  136 

1.  When  the  subject  follows  the  verb,  in  a  declarative  sentence. 
L'  ha  fatto  lui,  or  lui  stesso  He  has  done  it  himself 

But 

L'  ho  fatto  io  stesso 

2.  When  the  verb  is  understood. 

Lui  pittore,  lui  po^ta,  lui  musicista,       He  a  painter,  a  poet,  a  musician, 
lui  ingegn^re,  lui  archit^tto  !  an  engineer,  an  architect ! 

3.  Before  Signori,  or  a  cardinal  number. 

Che  desTderano  l9r(o)  Signori }  What  do  you  gentlemen  wish  1 

Lpro  tre  They  three 

4.  After  anche,  neanche,  nemmeno. 

Anche  Ipro  sono  dalla  mia  They  also  are  on  my  side 

Nemmeno  lui  h  venuto  Not  even  he  came 

But 

Io  vorr^i  viaggiare.   Anch'  io  I  should  like  to  travel.  So  should  I 

*e.  In  exclamations. 
Felice  lui !    P9vera  te !  Happy  he !    Poor  you ! 

*/.  After  come,  dove,  quanto,  salvoch^,  siccome. 

L^i  potrk  riuscirvi  come  me  You  can  succeed  in  it  as  well  as  I 

Io  non  sono  d9tto  quanto  lui  I  am  not  so  learned  as  he 

*g.  As  a  predicate  after  essere  (in  Tuscan  usage  often 

preceded  by  in). 

S'  io  fossi  te  (in  te),  non  Io  far^i  If  I  were  you,  I  would  not  do  it 

Non  avr^bbe  voluto  ^sser  me  (in      If  he  had  known  everything,  he 

me),  se  avesse  saputo  tutto  would  not  have  wished  to  be  I 

Exception  :  Non  sono  piti  io  I    am   no   more   myself,   I    don't 

know  myself 

*^.  In  absolute  construction,  as  the  subject  of  the  past 
participle  and  of  the  present  participle  in  -ante,  -fnte.  With 
the  form  in  -ando,  -^ndo,  the  nominative  is  preferred.  (Cf.  193.) 

113 


§§136-138  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

Venuti  loro,  cominciammo  a  par-      When  they  had  come,  we  began 

lare  di  politica  to  talk  of  politics 

Vivfnte  me,  non  lo  farai  You  shall  not  do  it  while  I  live 

But 

Essfndoci  io,  non  V9llero  parlarne      I    being    there,    they   refused    to 

speak  of  it 

*i.  The  disjunctive  reflexive,  se,  can  of  course  be  used 
only  when  it  represents  the  same  person  as  the  subject. 
Va  da  se  It  goes  without  saying  (of  itself) 

But  (since  'Rembrandt'  is  not  the  subject) 

Un  ritratto  di  Rembrandt,  fatto  da      A  portrait  of  Rembrandt  painted 
lui  medesimo  by  himself 

1.  When  reciprocal,  sk  is  replaced  by  loro. 

Non  s'  acc9rdano  f ra  loro  They  do  not  agree  among  them- 

selves 

2.  S^  loses  its  accent  before  stesso. 

Non  V9lle  mai  parlare  di  se  stesso        He  would  never  talk  of  himself 

137.  The  subjunctive  is  used  after  credere  meaning  'think' 
or  'believe.'  The  future  is  admissible. 

Credo  che  pi9va  I  think  it  is  raining 

Non  crede  che  ci  sia  io  He  does  not  believe  I  am  here 

138.  The  Verb  venire  'come.' 

Principal  Parts  :  venire,  ven^ndo,  vf ngo,  verrp,  venni,  venuto 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 


v?ngo 

veniamo 

v?nga 

veniamo 

vi^ni 

venite 

v?nga 

veniate 

vi^ne 

vfngono 

v?nga 

vfngano 

114 


DISJUNCTIVES 


§138 


a.  Special  uses  of  venire : 

1.  Venire  is  often  used  instead  of  essere  to  construct  the  passive 
(cf.  97,  a,  i). 

Questi  desid^ri  non  vennero  com-      These  desires  were  not  fulfilled 
piuti 

2.  Venire  takes  a  before  an  infinitive. 

V^nga  a  trovarmi  alle  quattro  Come  and  see  me  at  four 

3.  Venire  is  used  for  andare,  when  motion  is  with  or  towarc_ 
the  second  person. 

Verr5,  verranno,  da  Lei  domani  I  shall  come,  they  will  come,  to 

your  house  to-morrow 


VOCABULARY 


il  calzino  sock 

il  caporale  corporal 

il  cartellino  sheet,  label 

il  fazzoletto  handkerchief 

la  fotografia  photograph 

il  francobollo  postage  stamp 

la  lana  wool 

il  nome  name  (given) 

il  pacco  {pi.  pacchi)  package 

il  principio  beginning 

appena  hardly 

costaggiii  down  there  near  you 

dunque  then,  well 

insi^me  together 


augurare  wish,  wish  well 
credere    think,    believe,  have  an 

opinion 
impostare  post,  mail  (impQsto) 
lodare  praise  (iQdo) 
passare  pass,  pass  as 
pensare  think,  reflect;  pensare  a 

think  of,  have  in  mind 
rispanniare  save 
tenere,  t?ngo   {irr.  like  venire), 

terrQ,  tenni,  tenuto  hold 

affettuoso  affectionate 
lontano  distant 
postale  postal 


"S 


§138  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

EXERCISE 

I.  Reading  Lesson 

NATALE 

il  2  2  dicembre 
Caro  fratello, 

il  babbo  e  la  mamma  mi  hanno  detto :  scrivi  tu  a  Lucio.  Ma 
come  fare  che  appena  so  tenere  la  penna  in  mano  ?  Ho  pregato 
la  signora  maestra  di  aiutarmi,  e  fra  lei  e  me  si  e  messa  insieme 
questa  letterina. 

Dunque:  a  nome  di  tutti  di  famiglia  ti  auguro  buon  Natale  e 
buon  anno. 

Riceverai  un  pacco  postale:  il  babbo  ci  ha  messo  i  dolci,  la 
mamma  i  fazzoletti,  la  Gigina  i  calzini  di  lana  che  ti  ha  fatti  da  se, 
ed  io  un  bel  libro,  che  ti  ho  comprato  con  i  denari  che  risparmio 
alia  scuola  coi  cartellini  dei  francobolli. 

Sta'  allegro  il  giorno  di  Natale :  noi  penseremo  a  te  che  sei  cos- 
taggiu  a  Tripoli,  tanto  lontano  da  noi ;  ma  anche  tu  pensa  a  noi, 
che  ti  vogliamo  bene. 

£  vero  che  sei  passato  caporale  ?  allora  fatti  la  fotografia,  e 
mandacela. 

Tanti  baci  da  tutti,  un  abbraccio  dal  tuo 

aff  mo  fratello 


Mine 


II 


I.  We  shall  think  about  our  family  on  Christmas  Day.  2.  Shall 
you  think  about  yours  ?  I  am  always  thinking  of  it.  3.  Buy  ten 
postage-stamps  for  me,  and  mail  these  letters  for  him.  4.  I  have 
mailed  them.  Many  thanks.  Don't  mention  it.  5.  What  was  there 
in  the  postal  package  that  Mino's  brother  received.?  6.  Mino's 
brother  found  in  it  six  handkerchiefs  and  some  woolen  socks. 

7.  Mino  says  his  little  sister  has  made  the  socks  all  by  herself. 

8.  Is  his  sister  younger  than  I  ?   9.  The  teacher  would  not  praise 

116 


TENSES  §  139 

the  letters  which  the  pupils  had  written.  lo.  Mino  hardly  knew 
how  to  hold  the  pen  in  his  hand,  and  asked  the  teacher  to  help  him. 
II.  Between  him  and  me  a  letter  has  been  put  together.  12.  My 
friend  will  come  with  us,  but  his  brothers  have  returned  with  them. 

13.  We  shall  wish  them  Merry  Christmas  and  Happy  New  Year. 

14.  Does  the  teacher  praise  you  or  him,  Giannino  ?  15.  Give  me 
the  gun,  please.  No,  I  will  not  give  it  to  you,  but  to  him.  16.  We 
think  our  brother  and  his  friend  will  come  on  Easter  Day. 


LESSON  XXI 

SPECIAL  USES  OF  TENSES.  SEQUENCE  OF  TENSES.  AGREE- 
MENT OF  VERB  AND  SUBJECT.  INVERSION 

139.  Present  Indicative,   a.  With  a  measure  of  time  after 

da,  and  sometimes  in  temporal  clauses  with  dacch^,  the  present 

indicative  is  used  to  translate  the  English  present  perfect 

expressing  an  action  begun  in  the  past  but  continuing  into 

the  present  (cf.  134). 

Siamo  in  Italia  da  s?i  mesi  We  have  been  (and  still  are)  in 

Italy  for  six  months 
Dacch^  sono  qui  Since  I  have  been  here 

I.  If  the  action,  begun  in  the  past,  was  continuing  at  a 
later  date  in  the  past,  the  English  past  perfect  is  to  be 
translated  by  the  past  descriptive. 

Era  ammalato  da  una  settimana  He  had  been  ill  a  week  (and  still 

was  so  at  the  time  of  which 
I  speak) 

Combattevamo  da  piu  di  sei  ore  We  had  been  fighting  for  more 

than  six  hours 

h.  It  is  used,  as  in  English,  of  the  immediate  future. 
Parto  domani  I  leave  to-morrow 

117 


§§139-140  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

*c.  For  vividness  of  narration  it  is  used,  as  in  Latin  and 
some  other  languages,  for  the  past ;  this  is  known  as  the 
historical  present. 

Trovandomi  vicino  a  una  stazione,  Happening  near  a  station,  I  decided 

VQlli  fare  una  corsa  per  la  strada  to  take   a   ride  on   the  under- 

sotterranea.    Scendo  due  o  tre  ground  railway.    I  descend  two 

scale,    e   mi    tr^vo    tutt'    a   un  or  three  steps,  and  find  myself 

tratto  sbalzato    dal   giorno  alia  suddenly  transported  out  of  day 

n9tte  into  night 

140.  Past  Tenses  of  the  Indicative,  a.  These  are  not 
susceptible  of  really  logical  analysis.  The  past  absolute  de- 
scribes a  past  action,  and  translates  the  English  simple  past. 
Ricevei  una  l^ttera  i^ri  I  received  a  letter  yesterday 

Mori  a  Parigi  nel  1 860  He  died  in  Paris  in  1 860 

&.  The  present  perfect  may  be  used  — 

1.  Generally  speaking,  to  translate  the  corresponding  English 
tense,  expressing  an  action  completed  within  a  period  that  has  not 
yet  expired. 

Abbiamo  speso  tanto  denaro  We  have  spent  much  money 

Molti  soldati  sono  arrivati  questa      Many  soldiers  have  arrived   this 
settimana  week 

2.  For  an  action  completed  since  midnight. 

Stamane  ho  scritte  tre  lettere  This  morning  I  wrote  three  letters 

3.  To  describe  an  action  which  happened  at  an  unstated  time  in 
the  past,  whose  consequences  extend  into  the  present. 

Hq  perduto  il  mio  orol9gio  I  have  lost  my  watch 

L'  Arigsto  ha  scritto  1'  Orlando         Ariosto  wrote  the  Orlando  Furioso 

Furioso 
Colombo  ha  scopf  rto  1'  America  Columbus  discovered  America 

Note.  Outside  of  Tuscany  the  distinction  between  past  absolute 
and  present  perfect  is  not  carefully  enough  observed,  and  foreigners 
who  have  studied  French  are  in  danger  of  using  the  present  perfect 
too  much.    Still,  usage  varies  with  mental  attitude,  vivid  interest,  etc. 

118 


TENSES 


§140 


c.  The  past  descriptive  is  used  to  express  incomplete  or 
habitual  action ;  to  describe  an  action  that  was  taking  place 
when  something  else  occurred ;  and  in  description. 


Chiacchieravano 

Noi  si  andava  spesso  al  teatro  1'  in- 
v^rno 

Scriveva  quando  entrai 

Un  velo  nero  cadeva  dalle  due 
parti 

II  t^mpo  era  cattivo 

II  Castillo  era  a  cavali^re  di  una 
valle  angusta  e  serviva  di  con- 
fine ai  due  stati 

I.  Cf.  139,  a,  I. 

*2.  It  is  often  found  substituted  for  the  past  future  perfect 
(especially  in  bisognare,  convenire,  dovere,  potere)  and  sometimes 
for  the  past  subjunctive. 

Sarei  andato  se  potevo  ')  //        f  ^^^^^  andato  se  avessi  potuto 

Andavo  se  avessi  potuto 
Andavo  se  potevo 


They  were  chatting 

We  used  to  go  often  to  the  theater 

in  winter 
He  was  writing  when  I  entered 
A  black  veil  descended  on  both 

sides 
The  weather  was  bad 
The    castle    bestrode    a    narrow 

valley,  and  acted  as  boundary  to 

the  two  states 


equivalent  toy  ^^^^^^^^  ^^""^  '^  ^  ^^^ 


d.  The  past  perfect  translates  the  English   past  perfect 
except  where  the  second  past  perfect  is  required  (cf.  e). 

While  the  friar  stood  thus  in  medi- 
tation, Renzo  had  appeared  at 
the  door;  but  seeing  the  holy 
father  in  thought,  and  the 
women  making  signs  not  to  dis- 
turb him,  he  stopped  on  the 
threshold 


Mentre  il  frate  stava  cosi  medi- 
tando,  R^nzo  era  comparso  sul- 
r  uscio ;  ma  visto  il  padre  sopra- 
pensi^ro  e  le  d9nne  che  facevan 
cenno  di  non  disturbarlo,  si 
fermb  sulla  S9glia 


I.  Past  tenses  of  nascere.  ^Was  bom'  is  variously  translated: 
h  nato,  of  a  person  still  living;  era  nato,  of  one  recently  dead; 
nacque,  of  one  long  dead. 

e.  The  second  past  perfect  translates  the  past  perfect  — 

119 


§§140-141  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

1 .  In  temporal  clauses  beginning  with  appena,  quando,  tostoch^, 
etc.,  immediately  followed  by  a  principal  clause  whose  verb  is  in 
the  past  absolute. 

Quando  ebbe  serrato  1'  uscio  di^tro      When  he  had  locked  the  door  behind 
a  sh,  vide  un  uomo  ritirarsi  plan  him,  he  saw  a  man  withdrawing 

piano,  strisciando  il  muro  very  softly,  skirting  the  wall 

2.  In  such  phrases  as  this  : 

Fra  cinque  minuti  li  ebbe  finiti  He  had  them  finished  in  five  minutes 

Note.  To  temporal  clauses  with  either  the  past  perfect  or  second 
past  perfect,  is  very  often  preferred  in  actual  usage  the  absolute  con- 
struction with  the  participle  (cf.  195). 

141.  The  Future  Tense.    The  future  tense  is  used  — 
a.  Contrary  to  English  usage, 

1 .  To  indicate  possibility  or  probability ;  when  the  action 

referred  to  is  past,  the  future  becomes  future  perfect. 

L'  avr6  perduto  I  must  have  lost  it 

Saranno  le  9tto  It  must,  or  may,  be  eight  o'clock 

Sara  un'  illusione,  sar^  vero  It  may  be  true,  it  may  be  an  illusion 

2.  To  indicate  actual  future  time  after  quando,  se,  etc. 
Quando  la  vedr6,  glielo  diro  When  I  see  her,  I  shall  tell  her  so 

*3.  As  an  alternative  to  the  present  subjunctive, 

a.  To  indicate  possibility. 

Bada,  che  ti  brucerai  Take  care,  you  may  burn  yourself 

d.  When  the  dependent  clause  refers  to  future  time  (169,  /,  n.  i). 
Credo  che  verranno  I  think  they  will  come 

b.  As  in  English, 

*i.  Instead  of  the  imperative,  in  a  general  precept  or 
when  the  action  is  not  to  be  performed  immediately. 
Amerai  il  pr9ssimo  tuo  cpme  te      Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as 

stesso  thyself 

I20 


TENSES  §§  142-143 

142.  The  Past  Future,  a.  The  past  future  is  used  like 
the  EngUsh  forms  with  should^  would,  might,  to  express 
what  is  uncertain  or  indefinite  in  the  principal  clause. 

Potrfbbero  smarrirsi  They  might  lose  their  way 

Non  mi  far^bbe  specie  It  would  not  surprise  me 

Si  dir§bbe  che  fosse  pazzo  One  would  say  he  was  mad 

6.  To  express  future  time  in  relation  to  the  past  tense  of 
a  verb  of  saying,  thinking,  etc. 

Dice  che  fara,  diceva  che  farebbe,      He  says  he  will,  he  said  he  would, 
il  giro  del  mondo  make  the  tour  of  the  world 

I.  When  the  statement  made  has  failed  to  come  true,  the  past 
future  perfect  is  required. 

Dissero  che  sarebbero  venuti  They  said  they  would  come  (but 

they  did  not) 

c.  In  deferential  or  polite  requests. 
Vorrei  vedere  i  suoi  quadri  I  should  like  to  see  his  pictures 

tf.  In  a  statement  reported  by  hearsay,  on  the  authority 
of  another. 

Secondo  i  n9stri  dispacci,  la  Ger-      According  to  our  telegrams,  Ger- 
mania     avrebbe     dichiarato    la  many   has    declared   war  upon 

guerra  alia  Francia  France 

e.  In  the  conclusion  of  conditional  sentences  (cf.  93). 

Note.  In  general,  the  past  future  perfect  is  often  used  in  Italian 
where  English  would  employ  the  simple  past  future. 

Ciascuno    studiava    il    luQgo    dove       Each    one    considered    the    point 
avrebbe  dovuto  cacciare  la  baio-  where  he  should  have  to  drive  his 

netta  bayonet 

*143.  Sequence  of  Tenses.  If  the  present  or  future  of  the 
independent  clause  be  changed  to  a  past  tense,  the  present 


§§143-144  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

of  the  dependent  clause  is  changed  to  the  past  descriptive, 
the  present  perfect  to  the  past  perfect. 

L9  l9do  perche  fa,  ha"!  ,  JLo  lodavo  {or  lodai)  perch^ 

fatto,  b^ne  i  I        faceva,  aveva  fatto,  b^ne 

a.  If  the  dependent  clause  states  a  general  truth,  the  present 
tense  may  stand. 

Galileo   diceva  che   il    mondo   si      Galileo  said  that  the  world  moves 
muQve 

*144.  Agreement  of  Verb  with  Subject,    a.  If  there  is 

more  than  one  subject,  the  verb  is  plural. 

II   monarchico   e   il    repubblicano      The  monarchist  and  the  republican 
non  sono  d'  acc9rdo  do  not  agree 

1.  But  if  there  is  close  alliance  between  them,  a  singular  verb 
may  be  admitted. 

Grande  h  la  fierezza  e  la  voracita      The  temerity  and  voracity  of  the 
della  talpe  mole  are  considerable 

2.  Two  or  more  singular  subjects  of  the  third  person  connected 
by  0  take  a  singular  verb. 

L'  uno  0  r  altro  verra  senza  fallo         One  or  other  of  them  will  come 

without  fail 

3.  Singular  subjects  connected  by  con  or  ne  may  take  the  verb 
in  the  singular  or  plural. 

Non  verra,  verranno,  ne  1'  uno  ne  Neither  the  one  nor  the  other  will 

1'  altro  come 

La  zia  colla  nipote  parti,  partirono,  The  aunt  with  the  niece  departed 

sul  far  del  giorno  at  daybreak 

h.  If  the  subjects  are  of  different  persons,  the  verb  agrees 

with  the  first  person  in  preference  to  the  second,  with  the 

second  in  preference  to  the  third. 

Lo  duca  ed  io  per  quel  cammino      The  leader  and  I   entered   upon 

ascoso     Entrammo     [Dante]  that  secret  way 

Tu  e  lui  siete  dalla  mia  You  and  he  are  on  my  side 

122 


TENSES  §§  144-145 

c.  The  verb  of  a  relative  clause  agrees  in  person  and 
number  with  the  antecedent. 

Voi,  che  intend^ndo  il  t^rzo  ci^l      You  who  by  understanding  move 
movete  the  third  heaven 

d.  Collective  nouns  take  a  plural  verb  usually,  if  followed 
by  a  plural  noun  in  a  phrase  with  di. 

La   maggior   parte   degli    Italian!      The  majority  of  the  Italians  wished 
desideravano  la  liberta  for  liberty 

*145.  Inversion  of  Verb  and  Subject.  The  subject  fre- 
quently follows  the  verb  in  Italian,  there  being  no  hard  and 
fast  rule  about  it.    Such  inversion  may  occur  — 

a.  In  interrogative  sentences  (cf.  62,  &),  unless  beginning 
with  an  interrogative  pronoun. 

b.  With  impersonal  verbs,  especially  with  the  partitive. 

Ci  mancano  di^ci  minuti  alle  9tto        It  lacks  ten  minutes  to  eight 
Ve  ne  ha  tanti  There  are  so  many  of  them 

c.  For  emphasis  or  contrast. 

L'  ha  detto  anche  lei  S/ie  said  so  too 

S'  egli  mi  parlava  una  lingua  che  If  he  spoke  to  me  in  a  language  I 

io  non  capivo,  io  potevo  b^ne  did  not  understand,  I  might  well 

parlargli    una   lingua   che    non  speak  to  him  in  a  language  /le 

capisse  lui  would  not  understand 

d.  With  participles  in  the  absolute  construction  (cf.  136,  h). 

Parlando  tu,  tutti  stanno  attenti  When  you  talk,  every  one  gives 

heed 

e.  In  exhortations,  wishes,  or  imprecations. 

Ci  fossi  tu  !  If  you  were  only  here  ! 

Lo  ricomp^nsi  Iddio !  May  God  reward  him ! 

123 


§145  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

/.In  relative  clauses  and  indirect  questions. 

Le  mostrero  il  gioi^llo  che  m'  ha  I'll  show  you  the  jewel  my  uncle 

dato  lo  zio  gave  me 

Domando   dove   sono  le  seconde  I     ask    where    the     second-class 

classi  places  are 

^.  In  adverbial  clauses  of  time  or  place. 

Dal  fondo  della  escavazione  cen-  From  the  end  of  the  central 
trale     si     partono     le     gallerie  excavation  start  the  secondary 

secondarie  galleries 

Nel  1817  capit5  a  Ven^zia  un  In  181 7  there  happened  to  come 
viaggiatpre  inglese  to  Venice  an  English  traveler 

h.  With  verbs  which  take  the  dative  of  the  person. 

Le  displace  la  notizia  The  news  causes  her  pain 

Gli  tremavano  le  labbra  His  lips  trembled 

/.  When   the   subject   or   predicate   has   long   modifying 
clauses,  which  should  logically  be  placed  near  it. 

Quale  U9mo  fpsse  il  Thouar,  quanto  What  kind  of  man  Thouar  was, 

V  Italia  gli  d^bba,  come  in  lui  how  much  Italy  owes  him,  how 

s'  accoppiasse  alia  lucidita  della  in  him  goodness  of  heart  was 

mente  la  bontk  del  cu9re,  dice  united  to  clearness  of  mind,  the 

in    questo    volume    il    biggrafo  biographer  tells  in  this  volume 

con  autoritk  che  non  h  dato  ad  with   an   authority  which  it  is 

alcuno  di  pareggiare  given  to  no  one  else  to  equal 

/  In  general,  in  narrative  style  and  in  conversation,  to 
avoid  pedantry,  or  to  emphasize  the  verb. 

Venne  siibito  la  disfatta  di  Novara      The  defeat  of  Novara  came  soon 

after 
E  mgrto  il  papa  The  pope  is  dead 

k.  The  subject  may  follow  both  verb  and  predicate  nomi- 
native. 
Era  presidente  del  Consiglio  Mas-      Massimo  d'  Azeglio  was  Presiderit 

simo  d'  Azeglio  of  the  Council 

124 


TENSES 


§145 


VOCABULARY 


V  allgdola  (/)  lark 

il  brano  scrap,  fragment;    fare  a 

brani  tear  to  pieces 
la  civiltk  civilization 
il  falco  {/>/.  -chi)  hawk,  falcon 
la  fatica  (//.  -che)  fatigue 
il  nQnno  grandfather 
il  p§zzo  piece 
il  r§sto  remainder,  rest 
il  risorgimento  resurrection 
il  sf  colo  century 
lo  strani§ro  stranger,  alien 
il  suqIo  soil 

altro  other 


agguantare  possess  oneself  of 
appollaiarsi  roost,  lodge 
awentarsi  (a)  fall  (upon) 
cacciare  hunt,  drive  out 
succhiare  suck 

dopoch^  (conj.)  after 
dovesse  j  sg.  p.  sjibj.  of  dovere 
fecero  3  pi.  p-  abs.  of  fare 
gik  already 

nonostante  che  (w/M  subj.)   not- 
withstanding that 
per  uno  apiece 

qualche  some  {indef.  adj.  w.  sg.  n.) 
sQtto  under 
via  (adv.)  away 


EXERCISE 


I 


UN  PO'  DI  STORIA  DEL  RISORGIMENTO  ITALIANO 

Nonostante  che  la  nostra  Italia  dovesse  essere  sacra  per  gli 
uomini  di  tutto  il  mondo  dopoche  da  essa  avevano  imparato  le 
arti,  le  sci^nze,  le  industrie  e  la  civiltk  sotto  tutte  le  forme,  gli 
stranieri,  in  altri  tempi,  V  hanno  sempre  guardata  come  i  falchi 
guardano  le  allodole :  per  avventarcisi,  per  farla  a  brani  e  per 
agguantarsene  un  pezzo  per  uno. 

E  disgraziatamente  per  noi,  non  si  contentarono  di  guardarla, 
ma  fecero  anche  il  resto. 

Vol,  ragazzi  italiani,  avrete  gik  qualche  idea  di  quello  che  i  vostri 
nonni  e  i  vostri  babbi  hanno  fatto  per  cacciar  via  dal  nostro  suolo  i 
vampiri  che  da  secoli  vi  s'  erano  appollaiati  per  succhiargli  il  sangue. 

Ora  i  vampiri  se  ne  sono  andati.  Ma  quante  fatiche,  quanti 
pericoli  e  quanti  morti  I 

125 


§146  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

II 
(Involves  139,  140,  141,  142) 

I.  The  duke  possessed  himself  of  the  state.  2.  If  many  Italians 
had  not  fought  for  their  country,  they  would  not  have  driven  out 
the  alien  from  their  soil.  3.  He  read  my  letter  after  I  had  written 
it  for  the  second  time.  4.  Your  grandfathers  drove  out  the  strangers 
from  Italy,  because  they  had  sucked  her  blood  for  centuries. 
5.  According  to  the  letter  I  received  this  morning,  my  mother  has 
returned  to  Paris.  6.  This  is  the  shortest  letter  I  have  ever  re- 
ceived from  her.  7.  The  palace  of  the  stranger  was  larger  than  the 
house  which  was  near  it.  8.  Hawks  fall  upon  the  other  birds. 
9.  The  Spaniard  said  he  would  come  before  noon,  but  he  has  not 
yet  arrived,  i  o.  Where  is  my  umbrella  ?  I  must  have  left  it  in  that 
compartment.  11.  We  were  talking  of  John's  pupil  when  he  en- 
tered. 12.  We  used  to  see  her  every  week  last  winter,  but  we  have 
not  seen  her  this  year.  13.  When  he  had  bought  the  tickets,  he  put 
them  in  his  pocket.  14.  When  I  arrive  at  my  grandfather's  I  shall 
find  the  others  there. 

LESSON  XXII 

THE  DEFINITE  ARTICLE.    THE  VERB  ANDARE 

146.  The  Definite  Article.  The  definite  article  is  used  far 
more  in  Italian  than  in  English.  It  is  used  where  it  would 
not  be  in  English  — 

a.  Before  the  possessive  adjective  (of.  107,  108). 

b.  Before  abstract  nouns  and  nouns  denoting  a  whole 
class  (cf.  73,  d). 

c.  Before  family  names  of  men  ;  often,  especially  to  imply 
familiarity  or  affection,  before  given  names  of  women  ;  rarely 
before  given  names  of  men,  when  referring  to  a  character 

126 


DEFINITE  ARTICLE 


146 


or  to  the  man's  works  ;   sometimes  before  the  surnames  of 
women,  to  indicate  fame  or  famiHarity. 


II  Tasso  passo  s^tte  anni  in  pri- 

gione  a  Ferrara 
La  Lauretta  h  una  brava  bambina 
L'  Aml^to  del  Shakespeare 
Ha  molto  studiato  il  Dante 

La  pTccola  Bugiani 
La  Duse 


Tasso  spent  seven  years  in  prison 

at  Ferrara 
Laura  is  a  capable  little  girl 
Shakespeare's  Hamlet 
He  has  studied  Dante  (the  works 

of  Dante)  a  great  deal 
The  little  Bugiani  girl 
Duse,  the  great  actress 


I.  When  men's  surnames,  as  Garibaldi's,  are  in  very  famiHar 
and  affectionate  use,  the  article  would  be  an  affectation. 

d.  Before  names  of  continents,  countries,  and  provinces ; 
and  names  of  lakes,  islands,  mountains,  and  rivers  (except 
Amo). 

L'  Australia  e  molto  lontana  dal-      Australia  is  very  far  from  Europe 

r  Europa 
Viva  r  Italia !  Long  live  Italy  ! 

I.  After  in  meaning  'in'  or  'to'  a  country  it  is  omitted  with 
names  ending  in  a  (unless  modified). 


Resteremo  tutta  1'  estate  in  Italia 

But 

St^tti  due  mesi  nel  B^lgio 
E  mai  stato  nel  Giappone  .'* 
Avevano  passato  1'  inv^rno  nella 
Francia  meridionale 


We  shall   remain  all  summer  in 
Italy 

I  stayed  two  months  in  Belgium 
Have  you  ever  been  in  Japan  ? 
They   had    spent    the    winter    in 
southern  France 


2.  It  is  omitted  likewise  after  di,  when  preposidon  and  noun 
are  equivalent  to  an  adjective  of  nationality  (cf.  147,  d). 

II  re  d'  Inghilt^rra  The  king  of  England,  the  English 

king 
Vini  di  Francia  French  wines 


127 


§146  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

3.  A  few  names  of  cities  require  the  article,  such  as  1' Aia  '  the 
Hague,'  il  Cairo  '  Cairo,'  la  Spf  zia  '  Spezia,'  etc. 

4.  Among  names  of  islands  which  do  not  take  the  article  are 
Crfta  'Crete,'  Cipro  'Cyprus,'  Rgdi  'Rhodes.' 

e.  Instead  of  the  possessive  :  with  parts  of  the  body  or 
clothing,  or  some  names  of  relatives ;  in  general,  where  the 
idea  of  possession  is  intimate  and  there  cannot  be  ambiguity 
(cf.  109);  sometimes  with  ne  to  translate  '  its '  (cf.  107,  c). 

Si  levo  1'  impermeabile  He  took  off  his  raincoat 

I  capelli  gli  scendevano  fin  sulle      His  hair  fell  down  to  his  shoulders 
spalle 

Come  sta  la  mamma  ?  How  is  your  mother  } 

I.  Likewise  after  avere,  of  personal  characteristics. 
Egli  ha  gli  9cchi  azzurri  He  has  blue  eyes 

Ella  ha  le  mani  piccole  She  has  small  hands 

*2.  In  poetic  usage  this  may  be  in  an  adverbial  accusative 
construction. 

Poggiati  il  gingcchio  alio  scudo  Leaning  their  knees  against  their 

shields 

/.  Before  the  number  of  the  year  or  the  hour,  or  the 
name  of  a  particular  month. 

II  Petrarca  nacque  nel  1 304  Petrarch  was  born  in  1 304 
Verro  da  Lei  alle  cinque  I  shall  come  to  your  house  at  five 
Nell'  ottobre  dell'  anno  scorso  In  October  of  last  year 

g.  Distributively, 

1.  In  expressing  measure. 

H9  pagato  questa  seta  cinque  lire      I  paid  five  francs  a  meter  for  this 
il  m^tro  silk 

2.  With  days  of  the  week,  to  mean  'every.' 

La  mia  ma^stra  d'  italiano  vi^ne      My  Italian  teacher  comes  to  me  on 
da  me  il  mercoledi  Wednesdays,  or  every  Wednes- 

day 

128 


DEFINITE  ARTICLE  §  146 

a.  Without  article,  the  name  of  a  day  of  the  week  may  be 
understood  to  refer  to  the  last  or  the  next  one. 

Lo  vidi  lunedi  I  saw  him  on  Monday,  last  Monday 

h.  Before  a  title  followed  by  a  proper  name. 

£  arrivata  la  regina  Elena  nel  suo      Queen  Helen  arrived  in  her  yacht 

yacht 
E  in  casa  la  Signora  Casagrande?      Is  Mrs.  Casagrande  at  home? 

I.  Before  any  other  part  of  speech  used  as  a  noun. 

Mi  dugle  il  dirlo  It  pains  me  to  say  it 

Rifiut9  di  dirmi  il  perche  He  refused  to  tell  me  the  reason 

Pensava  con  grande  sgomento  al  I   thought  with  great  anxiety  of 
come  avr§i  fatto  a  pagare  how  I  should  manage  to  pay 

j.  In  constructing  the  superlative  degree  (cf.  116). 

*^.   In  a  number  of  idiomatic  phrases : 

Dare  il.  Jjugn  giorno  To  say  good  morning 

Dire  le  bugle  To  tell  lies 

Fare  il  Natale  To  keep  Christmas 

Fare  le  scuse  To  make  excuses 

I.  Many  such  phrases  take  the  feminine  article  alone,  with  a 
noun,  presumably  cgsa,  understood.  (Or  this  may  be  considered 
the  feminine  conjunctive  pronoun,  replacing  la  cosa.) 

Averla  con  To  have  a  grudge  against 

Darla  vinta  a  To  surrender 

DTrsela  con  To  be  congenial  to 

Dirla  schi^tta  To  speak  frankly 

Farla  da  padrone  To  act  arrogantly,  play  the  master 

Farla  finita  To  make  an  end  of  it 

lo  la  v^ggo  brutta  It  looks  bad  to  me 

Legarsela  al  dito  To  hold  a  grudge 

Saperla  lunga  To  know  all  about  it 

129 


§147 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


147.  The  Definite  Article  is  Omitted  — 

a.  In  the  vocative,  and  after  a  pronominal  adjective  or  a 
numeral. 


S'  acc9modi,   Signore.    II  signore 

s'  accgmoda 
Questo  lume 
Due  scod^lle 

h.  In  proverbs. 
CQsa  fatta  capo  ha 


Sit  down,  sir.    The  gentleman  sits 

down 
This  lamp 
Two  soup-plates 


A  thing  done  has  an  end,  is  ended 


c.  In  enumerations,  if  summed  up  collectively. 


NQbili,  popolani,  contadini,  U9mini, 
d9nne,  tutti  s'  affoUavano  alio 
scalo 


Nobles,  populace,  peasants,  men, 
women,  everybody  was  throng- 
ing down  to  the  landing-place 


d.  With  di,  to  indicate  material,  contents,  intimate  char- 
acteristics, or  nationality. 

II  vestito  di  seta 
II  bicchi^r  d'  acqua 
II  maestro  d'  italiano 
La  cioccolata  di  Svizzera 
Una  moltitudine  di  pellegrini 


The  silk  dress 

The  glass  of  water 

The  Italian  teacher 

Swiss  chocolate 

A  multitude  of  pilgrims 


'c.  In  many  set  phrases,  such  as 


A  l^tto 

A  scu9la 

Barca  a  r^mi 

Da  mane  a  sera 

Di  giorno,  di  n9tte 

Di  sett^mbre 

In  casa 

In  cittk 

In  pi^di 

U9mo  di  giudizio 


In  bed 

At  school 

Rowboat 

From  morning  till  night 

By  day,  by  night 

In  September 

At  home 

In  town 

On  one's  feet 

Man  of  judgment,  good  behavior 


130 


DEFINITE  ARTICLE  §§  148-149 

*148.  Agreement  of  Definite  Article  with  Two  or  more 

Nouns. 

a.  In  a  series  of  substantives  of  the  same  number  and 
gender,  the  article  may  be  used  with  one  alone. 

Le  montagne,  valli  e  piagge  della  The  mountains,  valleys,  and  coasts 
Riviera  italiana  sono  bellissime  of  the  Italian  Riviera  are  most 

beautiful 

But 

Le  montagne  ed  i  ghiacci  della  The  mountains  and  glaciers  of 
Svizzera  Switzerland 

149.  The  Verb  andare  'go.' 

Principal  Parts:  andare,  andando,  vado,  ander^  ^r andr^,  andai,  andato 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 
vado,  or  V9         andiamo  vada  andiamo 

vai  andate  vada  andiate 

va  vanno  vada  vadano 

For  the  imperative,  cf.  130,  e. 

a.  Special  uses  of  andare. 

1.  Andare  takes  a  before  the  infinitive.     To  *go  and*  is  trans- 
lated andare  a. 

Andrb  a  comprare  della  carta  da  I  shall  go  and  buy  some  writing- 
scrivere  paper 

2.  Andare  with  the  present  participle  translates  the  verb  *  be/ 
with  an  additional  idea  of  continuation  (cf.  102). 

Va  crescendo  a  p9CO  a  p9co  It  is  growing  littie  by  little 

3.  With  the  past  participle,  it  makes  a  passive  carrying  the 
additional  idea  of  obligation  or  propriety  (cf.  97,  a,  i). 

I  ragazzi  italiani  non  vanno  man-      Italian   boys    are    never    sent    to 

dati  soli  a  scu9la  school  unaccompanied 

Questo  non  va  messo  qui  This  isn't  to  be  put  here 

131 


§149 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


*b.  Idioms  with  andare. 

Andare  a  cavallo 
Andare  in  cgllera 
Andare  di^tro  a 
Andare  in  f  stasi 
Andare  fu9ri 
Andare  a  pi^di 
Andar  sup^rbo 
A  lungo  andare 


To  go  on  horseback 

To  become  angry 

To  be  inferior  to  ;  to  follow 

To  go  into  ecstasies 

To  go  out 

To  go  on  foot 

To  be  proud 

In  the  long  run 


VOCABULARY 


il  caff|  coffee 

la  conoscf  nza  acquaintance 

il  figlio  son 

la  figlia  daughter 

il  latte  milk 

Milano  Milan 

Napoli  Naples 

il  principe  prince 

la  principessa  princess 

la  regina  queen 

il  romanzo  novel 

la  seta  silk 

come  al  sglito  as  usual 

per  il  s^lito  usually 

in  casa  at  home 

fuQii  out 

pr  ora  just  now 

quest'  altro  next,  coming 


andare  a  cavallo  ride  horseback 
andare  a  pifdi  go  on  foot 
aprire,  ap^rsi,  ap§rto  open 
aver  piacere  di  be  pleased  to 
conoscere,   conphbi,  conosciuto   be 

acquainted  with,  meet,  become 

acquainted  with 
dar  fuQCO  a  set  fire  to 
dar  la  bupna  notte  eU.  say  good 

night  e^c. 
dar  npia  a  annoy 
dar  pensi^ro  a  worry  (/r.) 
incontrare  meet,  run  across 
presentare  introduce 
restare  stay,  remain 
sperare  hope 
chiudere,  chiusi,  chiuso  close 


EXERCISE 


I.  £  in  casa  la  Signorina  Conti?  No,  Signora,  e  andata  fuori. 
2.  Buon  giorno,  Signora.  Mi  permetta  di  presentarle  il  Signor 
OrseUi.  3.  Ho  piacere  di  far  la  Sua  conoscenza.  4.  Dove  sono  le 
Sue  figlie?  Perche  non  sono  venute  con  Lei?    5.  Sono  andate  in 

132 


DEFINITE  ARTICLE  §  149 

Francia.  Ci  resteranno  due  mesi,  e  passeranno  1'  estate  in  Inghil- 
terra.  6.  Dove  ha  conosciuto  il  Signer  Pisani  ?  A  Napoli.  Conosco 
lui  e  sua  sorella.  7.  Conosce  il  nuovo  romanzo  del  Fogazzaro  ? 
Desidero  di  comprarlo.  8.  Dove  va,  Signorina  ?  Vado  da  mia  zia. 
Spero  che  sark  in  casa.  9.  Non  ci  sara.  L'ho  vista  or  ora  in  Via 
Cavour.  10.  Andiamo  a  trovarla.  L' incontreremo  per  la  strada. 
II.  Ha  sentito  che  il  Bianchi  e  andato  in  Inghilterra?  12.  Sono 
andata  questa  mattina  dalla  mia  maestra  d'inglese.  13.  Ci  vo  il 
martedi  e  il  venerdi,  e  pago  tre  lire  la  lezione.  1 4.  Come  si  chiama 
la  regina  d' Italia?  Si  chiama  la  regina  |;iena.  15.  Ha  visto  la 
principessa  Vittoria  ?    Ha  gli  occhi  neri,  e  le  mani  molto  piccole. 

16.  Andai  la  settimana  scorsa  a  fare  il  Natale  da  mio  cognato. 

17.  L'  Italia  e  la  nostra  patria.  18.  Di  giugno  si  va  per  il  solito  in 
campagna,  e  si  torna  di  settembre  in  citta.  1 9.  Non  si  dia  pensiero. 
20.  Leggevo  il  famoso  romanzo  del  Manz9ni  quando  venne  la  mia 
amica  a  trovarmi.  21.  Le  do  noia  sc  apro  la  finestra  ?  L'  aveva 
chiusa  or  ora.    22.  Desidera  una  tazza  di  caffe  e  latte  ? 


II 

I.  We  usually  came  into  town  in  October.  2.  America  is  larger 
than  Europe.  3.  Manzoni  was  a  writer  of  Italy.  He  was  bom  in 
Milan.  4.  We  opened  the  door,  as  usual,  but  they  closed  it. 
5.  Orselli  has  gone  to  France.  He  will  stay  three  weeks  with 
Count  Costa.  6.  Let  me  introduce  you  to  Princess  Porciani. 
7.  Have  the  soldiers  set  fire  to  our  house  ?  8.  I  should  have  opened 
the  window  of  the  compartment,  but  it  would  have  annoyed  one  of 
the  passengers.  9.  Is  Mrs.  B.  at  home  ?  No,  miss,  she  has  gone 
out.  10.  Did  she  go  on  foot  ?  No,  she  went  on  horseback.  1 1 .  This 
news  worries  us.  12.  The  children  came  and  said  good-morning  to 
their  teacher.  13.  I  wish  to  read  Fogazzaro's  best  novel.  14.  Hav- 
ing read  it,  I  shall  talk  of  it  to  my  friends.  15.  Where  did  you  meet 
Miss  C.  ?  I  am  not  acquainted  with  her.  16.  Permit  me  to  intro- 
duce to  you  Mr.  B.    17.  I  am  happy  to  make  your  acquaintance. 

^33 


§149  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

1 8.  We  were  reading,  when  they  came  and  said  good  morning  to 
us.  19.  Bring  me  a  glass  of  milk.  20.  Here  is  my  cousin's  silk 
dress.  2 1 .  When  I  go  to  her  house  I  shall  carry  it  to  her.  22.  Where 
are  your  books,  Lauretta  ?    Go  and  find  them. 

Ill 
L'  ARRIVO  IN  UNA  STAZIONE  FERROVIARIA  ITALIANA 

Si  arriva  a  Firenze.  Un  lungo  fischio,  il  treno  rallenta,  poi  si 
ferma  alia  stazione.  State  pensando  commqsso  a  tutto  quello  che 
avete  a  vedere  in  questa  bellissima  citta ;  ma  queste  emozioni  sono 
interrptte  bruscamente  dagli  altri  viaggiatori  che  cominciano  a  but- 
tar  gill  i  loro  bagagli  dalla  rete,  con  gran  pericolo  di  farvi  male. 
Quelli  che  li  hanno  gia  in  mano  si  sporgono  alio  sportello,  chia- 
mando  :  —  Facchino  !  —  Se  hanno  la  fortuna  di  trovarne  uno 
pronto,  lo  caricano  di  tanti  sacchi,  tante  valigie,  tante  borse,  da 
farlo  parere  piii  ciuco  che  uomo.  Vi  mena  all'  uscita  dove  dovete 
dare  il  vostro  biglietto  all'  impiegato,  poiche  in  Italia  si  deve  ren- 
derlo  non  solo  all'  entrata  in  treno  ma  anche  all'  uscire  dalla  sta- 
zione. £  il  facchino  che  vi  trova  una  carrozza,  o  un  legno,  come 
si  chiama  a  Firenze.  Ci  mette  tutta  la  vostra  roba  e  vi  salite  anche 
voi.  Poi  gli  dite  di  andare  nel  bagagliaio  per  ritirarne  il  vostro 
baule,  dandogli  la  bolletta.  Mentre  che  lo  aspettate,  vedete  uscire 
dalla  stazione  tanta  gente  frettolosa,  affollata,  occupata  a  chiamarsi, 
a  urtarsi,  a  stringersi  la  mano,  baciandosi  sulle  gote  anche  gli 
uomini,  che  e  un  piacere  a  vederli.  Ecco  il  vostro  facchino  col 
baule  su  un  carretto.  In  un  attimo  il  baule  e  sulla  vettura,  e  al 
facchino  che  sta  in  aspettativa  davanti  a  voi,  si  da  una  mancia  che 
non  basta  mai.  Per  quanto  generosa  sia,  egli  vi  guardera  con  una 
espressione  commovente,  e  vi  dira :  —  Ma  .  .  .  e  poco  !  —  Bisogna 
fare  1'  orecchio  da  mercante  e  tirar  via  per  le  strade  rumorose,  fino 
al  Lungarno  dove  sta  il  vostro  albergo. 


134 


CARDINALS 


§150 


LESSON  XXIII 

CARDINAL  NUMERALS.    DATES,  TIME,  AGE.    MONEY. 
MEASUREMENT.    THE  VERB  MORIRE 


150.  The  Cardinal  Numerals  are 


I  uno 

21  ventuno 

100  c^nto 

2  due 

22  ventidue 

loi  centuno 

3tre 

23  ventitre 

102  centodue 

4  quattro 

24  ventiquattro 

160  centosessanta 

5  cinque 

25  venticinque 

1 80  centottanta 

6  s^i 

26  ventis^i 

200  dug^nto 

7  s?tte 

27  ventis^tte 

600  seic^nto 

8  9tto 

28  vent9tto 

800  9ttoc9nto 

9  n9ve 

29  ventin9ve 

1000  mille 

10  di^ci 

30  trenta 

1 00 1  mille  uno 

1 1  undid 

31  trentuno 

2000  duemila 

12  dodici 

32  trentadue 

20,000  ventimila 

13  tredici 

38  trent9tto 

1 4  quattordici 

39  trentan9ve 

15  quindici 

40  quaranta 

16  sedici 

50  cinquanta 

1 7  diciass^tte 

60  sessanta 

18  dici9tto 

70  settanta 

19  diciann9ve 

80  ottanta 

20  venti 

90  novanta 

a.  Uno  has  a  feminine  una,  and  when  used  adjectively  has 
the  forms  of  the  indefinite  article  (cf.  59,  60). 
Uno  sc9po,  una  patria,  un  die  One  purpose,  one  fatherland,  one  God 

I.  With   ventuno,   trentuno,   etc.,  used   adjectively,   the   noun 
should  be  in   the   singular  when  it  follows  the  numeral,  in  the 
plural  when  it  precedes,  the  numeral  agreeing  in  gender  only. 
Trentun  soldato,  soldati  trentuno      Thirty-one  soldiers 
Centuna  lira,  lire  centuna  One  hundred  and  one  lire 

135 


§§150-151  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

b.  With  cento  and  mille  the  indefinite  article  is  not  used. 
The  plural  of  mille  is  mila. 

C§nto  U9mini  e  mille  cavalli  A  hundred  men  and  a  thousand 

horses 

c.  'Eleven  hundred,'  'twelve  hundred,'  etc.,  must  be 
translated  '  one  thousand  one  hundred '  etc. 

La  prima  crociata  ebbe  lu9go  circa  The  First  Crusade  took  place  about 

il  millecento  1 1  oo 

La    gu^rra    civile    americana    in-  The  American   Civil  War  began 

comincio      nel      milleottoc^nto  in  1861 

sessantuno 

d.  '  Both '  =  tutti  e  due,  tutt'  e  due  ;  /all  three '  =  tutti  e  tre  ; 
etc.    If  a  noun  follows,  it  takes  the  article. 

Tutt'  e  due  gli  amici  Both  (the)  friends 

e.  The  numerals  above  twenty  may  be  written  as  one 
word  or  as  two  except  when  the  digit  is  one  or  eight, 
when  they  must  be  written  as  one. 

Ventidue,  venti  due ;  quarantuno  ;  sessant9tto  ;  trenta  s^i,  trentas^i 

*/.  Cento  may  be  written  cen  when  followed  by  a  numeral 
not  accented  upon  the  first  syllable. 

C^ndiciass^tte,  c^nquaranta ;  du^  c^ntos^i,  c^ntoventi,  c^ntosedici 

151.  Dates,    a.  For  the  days  of  the  month,  except  the 

first  (which  takes  the  ordinal,  primo),  the  cardinals  are  used, 

preceded  by  the  definite  article.    Both  article  and  numeral 

precede  the  name  of  the  month. 

II  quattro  gennaio,  il  25  giugno  January  fourth,  the  25th  of  June 

II  primo  agosto  The  first  of  August 

I.  A  more  stately  form  inserts  the  word  di  'day.'    (And  for  the 
occasional  use  of  the  form  li  in  dates,  cf.  71,  d.) 
II  di  {or  addi)  sei  di  marzo  The  sixth  of  March 

136 


CARDINALS 


§151 


b.  The  definite  article  precedes  the  number  of  the  year 
(cf.  146,  /). 

Lo  Shakespeare  mori  nel  1616  Shakespeare  died  in  161 6 

c.  The  number  of  a  century  expressed  in  cardinals  serves 
to  indicate  the  century  following  (cf.  157,  c).  Mille  is  often 
dropped. 

II  trecento,  11  milletrec^nto  The  fourteenth  century  —  ///.  the 

'three  hundreds,'  the  'thirteen 
hundreds ' 

II  dug^nto,  r9ttoc§nto  The  thirteenth  century,  the  nine- 

teenth century 

d.  *Ago'  is  expressed  by  fa,  sono,  or  or  sono,  following  a 
measure  of  time. 


Due  mesi  fa 

Anni  sono 

C^nto  anni  or  sono 

*e.  Idiomatic  phrases : 

Qtto  giorni 

Quindici  giorni 

Qggi  a  9tto 

Doman  1'  altro 

I^r  r  altro,  1'  altro  i^ri 

Ogni  tre  giorni 

Un  giorno  si,  un  giomo  n9 

Quanti  ne  abbiamo  del  mese 

Quanti  ne  abbiamo  ? 

A'  quanti  siamo  del  mese  ?       j 

Ne  abbiamo  tre"! 

£  il  tre  '  I 

Siamo  ai  tre       J 

Ai  tanti  del  mese 

A'  quanti  del  mese  parte  ? 

Nella  prima  metk  di  maggio 


n 


Two  months  ago 

Years  ago 

A  hundred  years  ago 


A  week 

A  fortnight 

A  week  from  to-day 

The  day  after  to-morrow 

The  day  before  yesterday 

Every  three  days 

Every  other  day 

What  day  of  the  month  is  it  ? 


It  is  the  third 

On  such  a  day  of  the  month 

On  what  day  of  the  month  does 

he  leave? 
In  the  first  half  of  May 


137 


§§151-152  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

Ai  primi  di  ottpbre  In  the  first  days  of  October 

L'  anno  scorso  dl  luglio  ^  In  July  of  last  year 

Fra  due  mesi  Within  two  months,  two  months 

from  now 
L'  ^bbe  finite  in  due  mesi  He    had    it   finished   within    two 

months 
Da  due  anni  For  two  years  past 

Anno  "1 

L'altr'annol  Last  year,  a  year  ago 

Oggi  h  V  anno  A  year  ago  to-day 

Anno  di  Ik  Year  before  last 

Da  qui  allora  From  now  until  then 

152.  Time  of  Day.  a.  With  numerals  indicating  the  time 
of  day,  the  definite  article  precedes,  and  both  article  and 
verb  agree  with  ora,  ore,  understood. 

Sono  le  tre  It  is  three  o'clock 

Erano  le  undici  e  m?zzo  It  was  half-past  eleven 

Vada  alle  cinque  Go  at  five 

&.  In  time-tables,  and  increasingly  in  general  usage,  the 

hours  after  noon  are  counted  from  midnight. 

II    tr^no   parte   alle   diciass^tte  e      The   train   leaves  at  5   p.m.  and 
arriva  alle  ventidue  arrives  at  10  p.m. 

I.  A.M.  and  P.M.  may  be  expressed  by  the  adjectives  ante- 
meridiano  and  pomeridiano,  modifying  ore  understood. 

Va  dalla  ma^stra  alle  di^ci  ante-      She  goes  to  her  teacher  at  ten  in 
meridiane  the  morning 

c.  'One  o'clock'  is  il  tocco  in  good  Tuscan  usage,  though 

V  una  is  used  elsewhere. 

II  tpcco  di  nptte  One  o'clock  at  night 

La  colazione  si  s^rve  al  tocco  Luncheon  is  served  at  one 

d,  'Noon'  is  m§zzogiomo,  and  means  twelve  o'clock  pre 
cisely;  mf zzangtte  is  'midnight.' 

138 


CARDINALS  §§  152-165 

*e.  Idiomatic  phrases : 

Che  ore  sono  ?  What  time  is  it  r 

Sono  le  cinque  passate  It  is  after  five 

£  la  m^zza  It  is  half-past 

Su9nano  le  due  It  is  striking  two 

Quanto  c'  h  alle  n9ve  ?  How  near  is  it  to  nine  ? 

Ci  mancano  di^ci  minuti  alle  n9ve  It  lacks  ten  minutes  to  nine 

Sono  le  dodici  e  m^zzo  It  is  half-past  twelve 

Di  quanto  sono  passate  le  di^ci  ?  How  long  after  ten  is  it  ? 

Le  di^ci  sono  passate  da  tanto  It  is  some  time  after  ten 

A  che  ora  d^vo  venire  ?  At  what  time  shall  I  come  ? 

V§rso  le  s§tte  About  seven 

Sono  le  due  meno  un  quarto  It  is  a  quarter  before  two 

Sono  le  9tto  e  di^ci  It  is  ten  minutes  past  eight 

Stamane,  stasera  This  morning,  this  evening 

Stan9tte  Last  night  (until  noon ;  after  noon 

it  means  '  to-night ') 

153.  Age.    Age  is  expressed  by  means  of  the  verb  avere 

with  anni. 

Quanti  anni  hai  ?  How  old  are  you  ? 

H9  s^tte  anni  I  am  seven  years  old 

a.  In  speaking  of  an  infant  or  an  animal,  tempo  replaces  anni. 
Quanto  t^mpo  ha  questo  bimbo  ?         How  old  is  this  baby .'' 

154.  Money.    The  Italian  system  is  decimal,  based  upon 

the  lira,  which,  like  the  French  franc,  is  equivalent  to  nearly 

20  cents. 

5  cent^simi  =    i  S9ldo  =  about  i  cent 

100  centfsimi  =  20  S9ldi  =  i  lira 

*155.  Measurement.  Italians  use  the  metric  system.  The 
mftro  equals  nearly  forty  inches,  and  the  centimetro  is  the 
1 00th  part  of  a  mftro.  An  inch  equals  about  2^  centimetri. 
The  chilgmetro  is  a  long  half-mile  ;  the  chilogramma  (mascu- 
line) a  generous  two  pounds  ;  the  litro  about  a  quart. 

^39 


§§  155-156 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Ho  pagato  questo  nastro  una  lira  I  paid  twenty  cents  a  yard  for  this 

il  m^tro  ribbon 

Queste  buste  sono  lunghe  quindici  These   envelopes   are   six   inches 

centimetri  long 

Una  stanza  della  lunghezza  di  s^i  A  room  six  meters  long  by  four 

m^tri  e  della  larghezza  di  quattro  meters  wide 

m§tri 

156.  The  Verb  morire  *die.' 

Principal  Parts  :  morire,  mor^ndo,  muQio,  morr^,  morii,  mQrto 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 

muQio     moriamo  mugia     moriamo 

muQri      morite  mu9ia     moriate 

mu9re     mu9iono  muQia     mu9iano 


VOCABULARY 


le  armi  arms  (weapons) 

il  bimbo  baby 

il  carbonaro  charcoal-burner 

il  consiglifre  adviser 

CristQforo   Colpmbo    Christopher 

Columbus 
il  fulmine  thunderbolt 
il  galantugmo  honest  man 
V  indipendf  nza  f.  independence 
il  mgto  movement 
1'  9pera  f.  task,  achievement 
Petrarca  Petrarch 
il  politico  statesman 
il  re  king 


il  segreto  secret 
le  truppe  troops 

Vittgrio    Emanu^le    Victor    Em- 
manuel 

accordarsi  agree  (accgrdo) 
cacciare  chase,  drive  out 
dirigere,  dirfssi,  dirftto  direct 
fallire  fail 

istituire  found,  establish 
coprire,  copf rsi,  copfrto  cover 

ardito  bold 

dolorosamente  sorrowfully 
faticoso  laborious 


EXERCISE 

I.  Quegl' Italiani  che  per  i  primi  si  diedero  alia  faticosa  opera  di 
cacciare  lo  straniero  erano  i  piu  intelligenti,  i  piii  buoni  e  i  piu 
arditi  d'  Italia.  2.  Ma  erano  pochi  e  senza  armi.  3.  Bisognava 
accordarsi  in  segreto.    4.  Istituirono  nel  1820  la  societa  segreta, 

140 


CARDINALS  §  156 

cosi  detta,  dei  Carbonari.  5.  I  primi  moti  rivoluzionari  preparati 
da  questa  societa  cominciarono  a  Napoli.  6.  Ma  dolorosamente 
fallirono !  7.  La  liberazione  d'  Italia  fu  V  opera  di  moltissimi  eroi. 
8.  Li  diressero  quattro  grandi  uomini:  uno  scrittore,  un  re,  un 
soldato,  e  un  uomo  politico.  9.  II  Mazzini,  il  grande  agitatore, 
nacque  nel  1805  e  mori  nel  1872  ;  aveva  67  anni.  10.  Vittorio 
Emanuele  II,  il  re  galantuomo,  nacque  il  14  marzo,  1820,  e  mori 
il  9  gennaio,  1878.  11.  Garibaldi,  quel  fulmine  di  guerra,  nacque 
nel  1807  e  mori  nel  1882.  12.  II  conte  Cavour,  il  consigliere 
del  re,  nacque  nel  1810  e  mori  nel  186 1.  13.  Vittorio  Emanuele, 
re  di  Piemonte,  fu  dichiarato  re  d'  Italia  il  18  febbraio,  1861. 
14.  Le  truppe  italiane  entrarono  vittoriosi  in  Roma  il  20  settembre, 
1870.    15.  In  che  giomo  nacque  Dante  Alighieri? 

II 
I.  In  what  year  was  Petrarch  bom  ?  In  1304.  2.  In  what  year 
did  he  die  ?  In  1374.  3.  There  is  a  poor  man.  If  I  had  forty-one 
lire,  I  would  give  them  to  him.  4.  What  day  of  the  month  is 
it  today?  It  is  the  17th.  5.  Christopher  Columbus  discovered 
America  in  1492.  6.  They  wish  me  to  leave  at  7.30  p.m.  7.  How 
old  is  your  father  ?    He  is  fifty ;    he  was  born  fifty  years  ago. 

8.  How  many  books  have  you  ?    I  have  more  than  a  thousand. 

9.  At  what  time  to-morrow  shall  I  return  to  your  house  ?  At  a 
quarter  past  eight  in  the  evening.  10.  The  Spaniard  died  last 
month  in  Paris.  He  was  bom  in  1872,  and  was  forty-three  years 
old.  II.  Shakespeare  was  born  in  1564  and  died  in  1616. 
12.  How  old  was  he  when  he  died  ?  He  was  fifty-two.  13.  What 
time  is  it  ?  It  is  twenty  minutes  past  ten.  It  lacks  ten  minutes  to 
eleven.  14.  How  old  is  this  baby?  He  is  three  months  old;  he 
was  bom  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  March.  15.  The  author  died  on 
the  twenty-third  of  January,  19 13,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  moming. 
16.  On  what  day  did  King  Victor  Emmanuel  die? 


141 


167 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


LESSON   XXIV 

ORDINALS.    COLLECTIVES.    MULTIPLICATIVES. 
INDETERMINATES.    THE  VERB  PARERE 


157.  Ordinals.    The  ordinal  numerals  are 


I  St     primo 
2d      secondo 
3d      t^rzo 
4th    quarto 
5  th    quinto 
6th    s^sto 
7th    sfttimo 
8th    ottavo 
9th    n9no 

I  oth    df  cimo 

r  undf  cimo 

I I  th  J  undicf  simo 

{^dfcimo  primo 
(  duodf  cimo 
I2th-^  dodicfsimo 

[dfcimo  secondo 

1 3th  I  ^^^^^^^-^"^^ 
Idfcimo  t^rzo 

,  /  quattordicf simo 

Idfcimo  quarto 

^^j^  fquindicfsimo 

Idfcimo  quinto 

^  ,    r  sedicf  simo 

Idfcimo  s^sto 

,   f  diciassettf simo 

\  df  cimo  sf  ttimo 

o  ,    r  diciottf  simo 

Idfcimo  ottavo 

,  J  diciannovf simo 

Idfcimo  n9no 


20th  ^ 
2ist| 

22d  \ 


30th 
40th 

5  Oth 
6oth 
70th 
8oth 
90th 
1 00th 

I  Gist 
I02d 

130th 
170th 
200th 

500th 

6ooth 

I  oooth 

1 001  St 

2000th 

30,000th 
[  00,000th 


ventfsimo 
vigfsimo 
ventunfsimo 
ventfsimo  primo 
ventidufsimo 
ventfsimo  secpndo 

etc. 
trentfsimo 
quarantfsimo 
cinquantfsimo 
sessantfsimo 
settantfsimo 
ottantfsimo 
novantfsimo 
centfsimo 
centf  simo  primo 
centfsimo  secondo 

etc. 
c^ntotrentfsimo 
c^ntosettantfsimo 
dugentfsimo 
cinquecentfsimo 
secentfsimo 
millfsimo 
millfsimo  primo 

etc. 
duemillfsimo 
trentamillfsimo 
c^ntomillfsimo 


142 


ORDINALS  §  157-158 

a.  The  ordinals  are  adjectives,  and  agree  as  such. 
La  quarant^sima  pagina  The  fortieth  page 

&.  Fractions  below  one  half  are  expressed  by  ordinals. 
Cinque  miglia  e  tre  quarti  Five  and  three-quarters  miles 

I.  'Half  is   translated  as   an  adjective   by  mfzzo,   as   a 

noun  by  la  meta.    Mezzo  agrees  when  it  precedes. 

Mangio  m^zza  la  pera  He  ate  half  the  pear 

Una  m^zz'  ora  A  half  hour 

Sono  le  tre  e  m^zzo  It  is  half-past  three 

Ne  prese  la  met^  He  took  half  of  it 

c.  The  number  of  the  century  may  be  expressed  by 
ordinals  (cf.  151,  c). 

II  sfcolo  dfcimo  quarto  The  fourteenth  century 

d.  Numerical  titles  of  rulers,  and  of  volumes,  chapters, 
etc.,  are  indicated  by  the  ordinals  following,  without  article. 
Carlo  quinto  Charles  the  Fifth 

Luigi  d^cimos^sto  Louis  XVI 

CapTtolo  t^rzo  Chapter  three 

e.  Ordinals  precede  cardinals  in  such  phrases  as 
I  primi  s^i  canti  The  first  six  cantos 

*158.  Collectives,    a.  The  commonest  are  — 

una  CQppia  a  couple  un  milione  a  million 

un  paio  a  pair  un  miliardo  a  billion  (U.S.),  thou- 

una  decina  half  a  score  sand  millions  (Eng.) 

una  dozzina  a  dozen  un  bilipne  a  trillion  (U.S.),  billion 

una  ventina  a  score  (Eng.) 

un  centinaio  about  a  hundred  ambedue,  entrambi  both 

un  migliaio  about  a  thousand 

I.  'About'  so  many  may  be  indicated  by  da  or  un  before  a 
cardinal. 

Da  seic^nto  About  six  hundred 

Un  settanta  About  seventy 

143 


§§  158-159  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

&.  Collectives  with  special  meanings : 

1.  Games:  ambo,  tfrao,  quadfrno,  cinquina,  'a  two,'  'a 
three,'  etc.,  in  the  lottery,  or  certain  games  of  cards. 

2.  Paper:  un  quadfrao,  un  quintfrno,  a  packet  of  four,  of 
five  sheets. 

3.  Time:  centenario  'centenary';  triduo,  novfna,  quarant^na, 
periods  of  three,  nine,  forty  days ;  bimfstre,  trimfstre,  qua- 
drimfstre,  semf stre,  periods  of  two,  three,  four,  six  months ; 
bifnnio,  trifnnio,  quinqufnnio,  sessfnnio,  decfnnio,  centfnnio,  mil- 
Ifnnio,  periods  of  two,  three,  etc.  years. 

4.  Versification :  La  terzina  or  il  terzetto,  la  quartina,  la  sestina, 
1*  ottava,  etc.,  three-,  four-,  six-,  or  eight-versed  stanzas ;  quader- 
nario,  quinario,  senario,  ottonario,  etc.,  four-,  five-,  six-,  or  eight- 
syllabled  verses. 

5.  Binario  is  used  of  the  two  rails  of  a  railway-track. 

*159.  Multiplicatives.  a,  Multiplicatives  are  the  adjec- 
tives (also  used  substantively)  doppio  'double,'  triple  'triple,' 
quadruple  'quadruple,'  quintuplo  'fivefold,'  sestuplo  'sixfold,' 
centuplo  'one  hundredfold,'  etc.  Similar  forms  may  be  con- 
structed with  v9lte  'times.' 

Una  scatola  a  dpppio  fondo  A  double-bottomed  box 

Dodici  h  il  triplo  di  quattro  Twelve  is  three  times  four 

La  mia  parte  era  di§ci  VQlte  piu  My  share  was  ten  times  as  great 

grande  della  sua  as  his 

Due  alia  VQlta  Two  at  a  time 

I.  The  similar  forms  duplice,  triplice,  etc.  are  used  only  as 
adjectives,  and  only  of  abstract  things. 

La  Triplice  Alleanza  The  Triple  Alliance 

144 


ORDINALS  §§  159-160 

b.  Arithmetical  processes  : 

Cinque  via  cinque,  venticinque  Five  times  five  axe  twenty-five 

Due  e  due  fanno  quattro  Two  and  two  make  four 

Di^ci  meno  cinque,  cinque  Ten  minus  five  leaves  five 

160.  Indeterminate    Numerals.     These    are    molto,    p9co, 

tr^ppo,  tutto,  tanto,  quanto,  and  parecchi  (f.  parecchie)  'several.' 

When  used  as  adjectives,  they  agree,  and  dispense  with  the 

article  (except  tutto,  cf.  c).    When  used  substantively,  the 

masculine  singular  is  abstract  and  neuter  in  meaning,  while 

the  masculine  plural  refers  to  persons.    For  their  use  as 

adverbs,  cf.  89,  b. 

H9  trgppe  CQse  da  fare  I  have  too  many  things  to  do 

Sp^nde  pQCO  He  spends  little 

Parecchie  d9nne  avevano  paura  Several  women  were  afraid 

Molti  hanno  abbandonato  la  cittk  Many  have  abandoned  the  city 

*a,  Molto.    Tuscan  usage  sanctions  di  before  molto. 

Ha  perduto  il  denaro,  e  ne  aveva      He  has  lost  his  money,  and  he 
di  mglto  had  a  great  deal 

b,  Poco.    Preceded  by  un  it  means  'a  little,'  and  is  often 

shortened  to  po' ;  it  is  used  adverbially  in  this  form  to  mean 

'just.'    In  the  plural  it  means  'few,'  'a  few.' 

Mi  dia  un  pQ'  di  pane  Give  me  a  little  bread 

Pgchi  la  pf  nsano  come  me  Few  are  of  my  opinion 

Dimmi  un  p9'  Just  tell  me 

c.  Tutto   used   adjectively  precedes   the  article  and  the 
noun,  unless  it  follows  both.    The  article  is  required. 

Tutti  gli  U9mini  All  men,  all  the  men 

Gli  ucc^lli  tutti  All  birds,  all  the  birds 

I.  In  the  singular  it  may  mean  'whole.' 

Tutto  il  giomo  All  day,  the  whole  day 

Tutto  un  giomo  All  one  day,  a  whole  day 

145 


§§  160-161 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


2.  Reinforced  by  quanto  it  means  'all  possible,'  'all  there  were,' 
'all  of  them,'  'every  one  of  them.' 

Tutti  quanti  fuggirono  Every  one  of  them  fled 

3.  Before  a  relative,  tutto  takes  quelle  or  ci6. 

Tutto  quello  che  disse  fu  vero  All  that  he  said  was  true 

d.  Poco,  molto,  troppo,  tanto,  and  quanto  are  often  used  as 
referring  to  time. 


St^tte  mplto  a  tornare 

Ci  vorrk  trgppo 

Quanto  ci  sara  da  aspettare  ? 

Dopo  non  molto 

Ogni  quanto  c'  h  il  tram  ? 

Ogni  tanto 

P9C0  fa 

Fra  pQCO 


He  was  a  long  time  getting  back 

It  will  take  too  long 

How  long  will  there  be  to  wait  ? 

After  a  short  time 

How  often  does  the  tram  run  ? 

Every  so  often,  every  little  while 

A  little  while  ago 

In  a  little  while 


161.  The  Verb />arere  *  seem.* 

Principal  Parts  :  parere,  par? ndo,  paio,  parr^,  parvi  or  parsi, 
parso  or  paruto 


RESENT 

Indicative 

Present 

Subjunctive 

paio 

paiamo 

paia 

paiamo 

pari 

parete 

paia 

paiate 

pare 

paiono 

paia 
VOCABULARY 

paiano 

Borbone  m.  Bourbon 

11  ducato  duchy 

le  Due  Sicilie  the  Two  Sicilies, 

Naples  and  Sicily 
Enrico  Henry 
Filippo  Philip 
Giorgio  George 
il  granducato  grand  duchy 
r  imp§ro  m.  empire 


il  Lombardo-Vf neto  Lombardy  and 

Venetia 
il  mesti^re  trade 
la  paglia  straw ;  muovere  ~  stir 
la  pera  pear 
il  Piemonte  Piedmont 
il  regnante  ruler 
il  regno  kingdom 
la  SavQia  Savoy 


146 


ORDINALS  §  161 

il  tomaconto  advantage  dawero  truly,  indeed 

la  Toscana  Tuscany  di^tro  behind 

f accio  /  sg.  pres.  ind.  of  fare  {irr.) 
dividere,  divisi,  diviso  divide  do,  make 

elf  ggere,  el§ssi,  el§tto  elect  faceva  3  sg.past  descr.  ind.  o/fare 

intf  ndere,  intesi,  inteso  understand      nulla  anything ;  wM  non,  nothing 
mugvere,  mQssi,  mgsso  move  9  well,  now 

rfggere,  r^ssi,  r^tto  rule  sotto  under 

veramente  really 

EX£RCIS£ 


PIPPO  DICE  LA  STORIA 

Un  signore  che  visita  la  scuola  domanda  a  un  contadinello : 

—  Come  ti  chiami  ? 

—  Pippo  del  Falomi,  ai  suoi  comandi. 

—  E  tuo  padre  come  si  chiama  ? 

—  Gasparo  del  Falorni,  ai  suoi  comandi. 

—  Che  mestiere  fa  ? 

—  II  contadino. 

—  Ti  piace  il  mestiere  del  contadino  ? 

—  Sissignore. 

—  Perche  ? 

—  Perche  si  sta  sempre  all'  aria  aperta,  si  lavora  di  molto  e 
siamo  pieni  di  salute. 

—  Bravo  Pippo !  .  .  .  E  .  .  .  dimmi  un  po' :   di  storia  patria  ne 
sai  nulla  ? 

—  Sissignore.    La  so  tutta  veramente  bene. 

—  O  sentiamo.    In  quale  anno  incominciarono  le  guerre  per 
r  indipendenza  d'  Italia  ? 

—  Neli848. 

—  Va  bene  !    O  dimmi  un  po',  Pippo,  in  quanti  stati  si  divideva 
a  quel  tempo  1'  Italia  ? 

147 


§  161  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

—  L'  Italia  era  divisa,  a  quel  tempo,  in  sette  stati :  il  Piemonte 
sotto  la  dinastia  di  Savoia;  il  Lombardo-Veneto  sogg^tto  all'  im- 
pero  d'  Austria ;  il  ducato  di  Parma,  quello  di  M^dena  e  il  gran- 
ducato  di  Toscana,  govemati  da  principi  i  quali  non  movevano 
paglia  senza  il  permesso  dell'  Austria ;  il  Regno  delle  due  Sicilie 
retto  dai  Borboni,  che  erano  i  peggio  di  tutto  ;  e  lo  stato  Pontificio. 

—  Bravo  bambino  !  E  .  .  .  dimmi  un  po' ;  nel  governo  di  questi 
piccoli  stati  era  rappresentato  il  popolo  ? 

—  Non  capisco. 

—  C  erano  le  Camere  dei  deputati  eletti  dal  popolo,  i  senator!, 
i  ministri  ? 

—  Nossignore.  Ogni  regnante  faceva  tutto  da  sb.  Ben  inteso 
che  dietro  c'  era  sempre  1'  Austria  che  ordinava,  proibiva  o  appro- 
vava,  secondo  il  suo  tornaconto. 

—  Avevi  ragione.  Bravo  Pippo !  La  sai  veramente  bene  dav- 
vero,  e  ne  faccio  i  miei  sinceri  elogi  a  te  e  al  tuo  maestro. 

II 

I.  Just  tell  me,  Pippo,  how  many  wars  were  fought  for  Italian 
independence?  Three,  sir.  2.  When  began  the  first?  About 
seventy  years  ago.  3.  And  the  second?  In  1859.  4.  And  the 
third  ?  In  1866.  5.  Few  states  of  Italy  were  well  governed  before 
the  War  of  Independence.  6.  Foreign  rulers  divided  Italy  among 
themselves.  7.  Dante  was  bom  in  the  thirteenth  century  and  died 
in  the  fourteenth.  8.  Louis  XIV,  Charles  IX,  Philip  II,  Henry 
VIII,  and  George  III  were  all  of  them  famous  rulers.  9.  How 
often  does  the  train  for  Florence  run?  10.  It  is  half  past  three; 
it  will  arrive  in  a  little  while.  11.  These  pears  seem  good;  I 
will  give  you  half  of  mine.  12.  24  —  8=  16.  27  x  14  =  378. 
117-1-54=  171.  13- I  shall  not  accompany  them  to  the  train. 
It  would  take  too  long. 


148 


INDEFINITE  ARTICLE  §  162 

LESSON   XXV 
THE  INDEFINITE  ARTICLE.    THE  VERB  FARE 

162.  The  Indefinite  Article.  The  indefinite  article  is 
omitted  in  Italian  — 

a.  Before  a  predicate  noun,  unmodified,  expressing  na- 
tionality, or  condition  in  life. 

Mori  martire  He  died  a  martyr 

E  Italiano  He  is  an  Italian 

£  professore  ?  Is  he  a  professor  ? 

Napoleone  s'  h.  fatto  imperatQre  Napoleon  became  {or  made  him- 
self) emperor 

Quella  signora  h  contessa  That  lady  is  a  coimtess 

Vittgrio   Emanu^le    II    fu   un   re  Victor  Emanuel  II  was  a  valorous 
valorpso  king 

I.  In  answer  to  the  question  'Who  is  he?'  as  distin- 
guished from  'What  is  he?'  the  indefinite  article  is  retained. 

Who  is  he  ?    He  is  a  lawyer  £  un  awocato 

What  is  he  ?  (What  is  his  occupa- 
tion ?)   He  is  a  lawyer  £  awocato 

*2.  If  the  predicate  noun  is  used  metaphorically,  the  indefinite 
article  is  retained. 

£  un  angelo  He  is  an  angel 

But,  speaking  literally, 

Non  erano  passati  9tto  giomi  e  il      In  less  than  a  week  the  child  was 
bambino  ?ra  angelo  an  angel  (i.e.  dead) 

h.  Before  a  noun  in  apposition,  when  explanatory  and  not 
alluding  to  a  familiar  fact.    (The  appositive  often  precedes.) 

II  Gab^lli,  ugmo  di  pensi^ro  e  di      Gabelli,    a   man   of   thought   and 
studi  studious  habits 

149 


§§  162-163  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

Gfnero    di   Alessandro    Manzoni,  Son-in-law  of  Alessandro  Manzoni, 

amico  del  d'  Az^glio,  il  Giorgini  friend    of   d'  Azeglio,    Giorgini 

fu  uno  degli  ultimi  testim9ni  di  was  one  of  the  last  witnesses  of 

quel    perlodo    della    letteratura  that  period  of  Italian  literature 
italiana 

The  definite  article  is  used  in  familiar  allusion. 

Giuseppe  Mazzini,  il  grande  agita-      Mazzini  the  great  agitator 
tore 

c.  After  da  in  the  sense  of  ^like,'  'in  the  character  of,' 
or  when  indicating  origin. 

Mori  da  soldato  He  died  like  a  soldier 

Nacque  da  padre  veneziano  e  da      He  was  born  of  a  Venetian  father 
madre  gr§ca  and  a  Greek  mother 

d.  Before  cento  and  mille  (cf.  150,  b). 

e.  In  such  phrases  as  'that  wretch  of  a,' etc. 

Quel  mon^Uo  di  Gigi  That  rascal  of  a  Gigi 

Quella  civetta  di  Mirandolina  That  coquette  of  a  Mirandolina 

/.  After  che,  in  exclamations. 

Che   bambina   carina,   che  carina      What  a  pretty  child ! 
bambina ! 

g.  In  fractions,  before  the  name  of  the  thing  measured. 

Un  t^rzo  di  miglio  A  third  of  a  mile 

Mi  dia  m^zzo  chilo  Give  me  half  a  kilo 

163.  The  Verb /are  'make,*  'do.' 

Principal  Parts  :  fare,  facf ndo,  faccio,  far6,  feci,  fatto 

Present  Subjunctive 
faccia  facciamo 

faccia  facciate 

faccia  facciano 

For  the  imperative,  see  130,  e. 

150 


Present  Indicative 

faccio, 
fai 

f9' 

facciamo 
fate 

fa 

fanno 

INDEFINITE  ARTICLE 


§163 


a.  Fare  governs  the  infinitive  directly.  In  this  construc- 
tion the  active  present  infinitive  renders  the  passive  past 
participle  in  such  phrases  as  *to  have  a  thing  done.' 

Lo  fecero  punire  They  had  him  punished  (///.  they 

caused  to  punish  him) 
Fece  preparare  una  camera  He  had  a  room  made  ready 

*&.  Idioms  with  fare. 

Fare  il  bagno 

Fare  i  bauli 

Far  caldo,  freddo,  etc. 

Far  capolino 

Fare  di  capp^Uo 

Far  caso  di 

Far  C9modo 

Far  complimenti 

Far  fronte  a 

Far  fumo 

Far  furpre 

Fare  le  fusa 

Far  male  a 

Far  m^glio  a 

Fare  del  suo  m^glio 

Fare  a  meno  di 

Fare  un  mesti^re 

Fare  a  metk 

Fare  una  passeggiata 

Far  piacere  a 

Far  presto 

Farsi  il  ritratto 

Far  sangue 

Far  scippero 

Far  si  che 

Fare  un  sonnellino 
Far  specie  a 


To  take  a  bath 

To  pack  one's  trunks 

To  be  hot  weather,  cold  weather, 

etc. 
To  peep  out 
To  take  off  one's  hat 
To  make  account  of 
To  come  handy 
To  stand  on  ceremony 
To  face,  oppose 
To  smoke  (of  a  stove) 
To  make  a  hit 
To  purr 
To  hurt 

To  find  it  better  to 
To  do  one's  best 
To  do  without 
To  ply  a  trade 
To  go  halves 
To  take  a  walk 

To  do  a  kindness,  give  pleasure,  to 
To  be  quick 

To  have  one's  picture  taken 
To  bleed 

To  strike ;  take  a  holiday 
To  bring  it  about;  to  manage  so 

that 
To  take  a  nap 
To  surprise 


151 


§163 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Far  strada 

Far  di  suo 

Far  tardi 

Fare  a  t^mpo 

Far  di  tutto 

Fare  le  veci  di 

Far  vedere 

Fare  una  vTsita  a 

Far  vista  di 

Sul  far  del  giorno,  della  n9tte 

Due  giorni  fa 

Che  t^mpo  fa  ? 

Fa  b^l  t^mpo 


To  be  on  the  way,  progress 

To  do  of  one's  own  accord 

To  be  late 

To  be  on  time 

To  try  one's  hardest 

To  take  the  place  of 

To  show 

To  call  on 

To  make  pretense  of 

At  dawn,  at  dusk 

Two  days  ago 

What  kind  of  weather  is  it  ? 

It  is  fine  weather 


VOCABULARY 


il  bagaglio  baggage,  luggage 

11  baule  trunk 

11  biglietto   d'  andata  e  rltprno 

round-trip  ticket 
la  carrQzza  carriage 
11  compleanno  birthday 
la  dgnna  woman,  woman  servant 
1'  onomastico  m.  saint's  day 
la  rpba  {collective)  things 
il  ventaglio  fan 

CQmodo  convenient,  comfortable 

carino     ^ 

>  pretty 
graziQsoJ  '^      ^ 

cortese 

gentile 

educato  polite 

pesante  heavy 


Tjkind 
:ilej 


fare  1  bauli  pack  one's  trunks 
far  CQmodo  come  handy 


far  compllmenti  stand  on  ceremony 
fare  a  meno  di  do  without 
fare  una  passeggiata  take  a  walk 
far  piacere  a  do  a  pleasure  to 
far  strada  be  on  the  way 
fare  una  vislta  a  call  upon 
mutar  dl  penslfro  change  one's 

mind 
non  veder  Pora  di   long  to,  be 

hardly  able  to  wait  to 
pigliare  take 
sentire  la  mancanza  dl   miss  (a 

person) 

di  glprno  by  day 

dl  ngtte  by  night 

PqI  then 

a  portata  di  mano  within  reach  of 

one's  hand 
PQsso  I  sg.  pres.  ind.  of  potere 

{irr.)  be  able 


152 


INDEFINITE  ARTICLE  §  163 

EXERCISES 


I.  Abbiamo  voluto  fare  una  visita  alia  Signora  C.  2.  La  donna 
ci  ha  fatto  passare,  ma  poi  ci  ha  detto  che  non  era  in  casa  la  si- 
gnora. 3.  L'  abbiamo  incontrata  piii  tardi  da  nostra  zia.  4.  £  vero 
che  va  a  Vallombrosa,  Signorina?  5.  Si,  Signora.  Non  vedo  I'ora 
di  partire.  6.  Mi  piace  tanto  il  viaggiare.  7.  Ma  pigli  un  biglietto 
d'  andata  e  ritorno,  per  esser  sicura  di  tomar  qui.  8.  Sentiremo 
molto  la  mancanza  di  Lei.  9.  Ha  da  fare  i  bauli.-*  10.  Si,  non 
posso  fare  a  meno  di  tre  bauli  per  la  mia  roba.  11.  E  poi  ci 
sono  i  bagagli,  i  quali  sono  molto  pesanti.  12.  Mi  permetta  di 
darle  questo  ventaglio,  perche  fark  comodo  se  viaggia  di  giorno. 
13.  Grazie  tante.  Che  grazioso  ventaglio!  Ci  vuole  molta  roba 
per  il  viaggio,  perch^  fa  caldo  prima,  e  poi  fa  freddo.  14.  A  che 
ora  partirk  stasera  ?  Ha  ordinato  la  carrozza?  15.  Non  bisogna 
ordinarla  oggi.  Ho  mutato  di  pensiero.  Non  parto  prima  di  mer- 
coledi.  16.  Chi  h  il  forestiere  che  ha  invitato  a  pranzo.?  17.  £ 
un  professorc.  £  Francese .''  No,  h  Americano.  18.  £  un  uomo 
molto  educato.  Viene  a  farmi  una  visita  sempre  pel  mio  comple- 
anno.    19.  Quando  e  il  Suo  onomastico  ?   II  ventitre  giugno. 

II 

I.  What  day  is  your  birthday  ?  The  28th  of  January.  And  your 
saint's  day?  The  i8th  of  July.  2.  Will  you  take  a  walk  with  me, 
to  [per]  do  me  a  pleasure  ?  3.  Please  buy  me  a  round-trip  ticket  to 
Florence.  4.  When  you  have  bought  it,  bring  it  to  us.  5.  The 
servant  will  pack  the  trunks  for  them.  6.  Let  us  call  upon  our 
friend  Mrs.  D.,  and  on  our  way  we  will  buy  some  things  for  our 
mother.  7.  They  always  travel  by  night,  because  it  is  less  hot. 
8.  What  a  pretty  fan  !  It  is  prettier  than  mine.  9.  I  have  put  your 
books  on  the  shelf,  within  reach  of  your  hand.  10.  They  will  miss 
us  and  I  shall  miss  them.    11.  I  cannot  do  without  my  friends. 

153 


§  163  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

12.  Here  is  Mrs.  C.  Sit  down,  Mrs.  C.  Do  not  stand  on  cere- 
mony. 13.  They  wish  me  to  pack  the  trunks,  and  there  are  more 
than  four  of  them.  14.  Come  at  half -past  four.  Do  not  change 
your  mind. 

DIALOGO 

IN  UN  ALBERGO 

Vengono  tre  signore  e  una  bambina,  che  domandano  del  pa- 
drone.   Lui  viene  e  dice  loro  : 

—  Buon  giorno,  Signore.    Che  desiderano  ? 

—  Desideriamo  delle  camere.  Ne  vogliamo  due  a  un  letto, 
comunicanti,  e  una  a  due  letti  perche  la  bambina  stia  colla  mamma. 

—  Benissimo,  Signore.  Faro  Loro  vedere  quali  camere  sono 
libere.  Eccone  due  a  un  letto,  comunicanti,  con  terrazza.  Sono 
esposte  al  sole.  Ci  si  sta  bene  d'  inverno.  Ecco  quest'  altra  che 
dk  sul  giardino ;  e  grande,  con  due  letti,  e  se  non  e  a  mezzogiorno 
non  c'  e  male  perche  c'  e  il  termosifone. 

—  Vabbene.  Queste  camere  ci  piacciono.  Quanto  sarebbe  la 
pensione  ? 

—  Se  Loro  restano  almeno  tre  giomi,  sara  di  otto  lire  il  giorno. 

—  Vabbene.  Faremo  venire  i  bauli  stasera,  e  verremo  prima 
del  pranzo. 


154 


IMPERSONAL  VERBS  §  164 

LESSON   XXVI 
IMPERSONAL  VERBS.    THE  VERB  STARE 

164.  Impersonal  Verbs,  a.  Impersonal  verbs  have  no  real 
subject,  and  are  conjugated  only  in  the  third  person.  What 
v^ould  be  the  subject  in  English  is  often  expressed  by  the  da- 
tive. They  are  used  to  express  necessity,  convenience,  or  ac- 
cident ;  weather ;  appearance ;  satisfaction,  dissatisfaction ;  etc. 

Non  m^rita  il  conto  It  is  not  worth  while 

Non  imp9rta  It  does  not  matter 

Non  convi^ne  It  is  not  proper,  not  suitable 

Me  ne  rincresce  I  am  sorry  about  it 

Pigve  a  rov^scio  It  is  raining  in  torrents 

Come  le  pare  ?  How  does  it  seem  to  you  ?    What 

do  you  think  ? 

*i.  Occasionally  egli  (gli)  or  e'  is  used  redundantly  as  subject 
of  an  impersonal  verb  (cf.  100,  g,  2). 
Gli  e  che  siamo  in  alto  mare  The  truth  is  we  are  in  deep  water 

b.  Impersonal  verbs  require  the  subjunctive  if  the  sub- 
ject of  the  dependent  clause  is  not  of  the  same  person  as 
the  dative  pronoun  ;  otherv^^ise  they  may  take  the  infinitive 
(cf.  174,  c). 

Bisogna  che  tutti  lavorino  All  must  work 

Bisogna  lavorare  It  is  necessary  to  work 

Mi  dispiace  che  Lei  d^bba  partire  I  am  sorry  you  must  go 

Mi  dispiace  di  partire  I  am  sorry  to  go 

I.  These  verbs  take  di  before  a  noun  object. 
Mi  dispiace  della  sua  malattia  I  regret  his  illness 

c.  Many  verbs  not  essentially  impersonal  may  be  used 
impersonally. 

155 


§§  164-165  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

Sta  a  lui  di  farlo  It  lies  with  him  to  do  it 

£  (di)  mestieri"!  ,    . 

^  \/  ^     y  It  IS  necessary 

Fa  d'  u9po       J 

Tocca  a  me  It  is  my  turn 

Pare  che  abbia  molto  denaro  He  seems  to  have  much  money 

Va  b^ne  It  goes  well ;  very  well 

Basta  That's  enough 

Minaccia  di  nevicare  It  threatens  to  snow 

£  cessato  di  piQvere  It  has  stopped  raining 

d.  Many  verbs  are  used  only,  or  mostly,  in  the  third  per- 
son, but  as  they  have  a  subject  they  are  not  impersonal. 

Mi  dugle  la  t^sta  My  head  aches 

Mi  d9lgono  i  d^nti  My  teeth  ache 

Mi  place  quel  quadro  I  like  that  picture 

Mi  piacciono  le  camera  I  like  the  rooms 

Mi  sembrano  ariose  They  seem  airy 

Mi  occorre  un  lapis  I  need  a  pencil 

Mi  bastano  questi  These  are  enough  for  me 

1 ,  These  verbs  when  followed  by  a  clause  are  strictly  impersonal. 
Mi  duQle  che  lo  dica  It  pains  me  to  have  you  say  it 
Mi  place  che  vQglia  venire  I  am  glad  you  wish  to  come 
Non  basta  che  scriva ;  d§ve  venire      It  is  not  enough  that  he  write ;  he 

must  come 

2.  Non  mi  place,  'I  do  not  like,'  should  not  be  confused  with 
mi  displace,  'I  am  sorry,'  'I  regret' 

Non  mi  place  questa  canzone  I  do  not  like  this  song 

Mi  displace  che  Lei  abbia  ricevuto      I   am   sorry   you   have   had    bad 
una  brutta  notizia  news 

e.  For  the  impersonal  use  of  the  reflexive,  cf.  106,  b. 

165.  Expressions  that  Describe  Weather. 

PiQve  It  is  raining 

Nevica  It  is  snowing 

Tugna  It  thunders 

Lampeggia,  balena  It  lightens 

IS6 


IMPERSONAL  VERBS 


§§  165-166 


Tira  v?nto 

G^la,  ghiaccia 

Sg^la,  dighiacx:ia 

Fa  b^l  t^mpo 

Fa  cattivo  t^mpo 

Fa  caldo,  freddo,  fresco,  umido 

C  h  il  fango 

C  h  la  nebbia 


The  wind  blows 

It  is  freezing 

It  is  thawing 

It  is  fair  weather 

The  weather  is  bad,  disagreeable 

It  is  hot,  cold,  cool,  damp 

It  is  muddy 

It  is  foggy 


166.  The  Verb  stare  *be,'  « stay.'    (Cf.  130,  e.) 

Principal  Parts  :  stare,  stando,  stg,  starg,  stftti,  stato 
Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 


st9 

stiamo 

stia 

stiamo 

stai 

state 

stia 

stiate 

sta 

stanno 

stia 

stiano 

a.  Special  uses  of  stare : 

1.  With  the  present  participle,  or  with  a  and  the  infinitive,  to 
translate  the  English  'be '  (cf.  102). 

StQ  leggendo  I  am  reading 

Stanno  parlando  They  are  talking 

Eravamo  stati  a  guardarci  p9chi  We  had  been  looking  on  a  few 

minuti  minutes 

2.  To  mean  'be,'  in  the  sense  of  to  be  in  a  place  or  a  condition. 

Non  st^tti  molto  a  Fir^nze  I  was  not  long  at  Florence 

Sta  b^ne  di  salute  He  is  in  good  health 

St9  di  casa  in  Via  Garibaldi  I  live  on  Via  Garibaldi 


*b.  Idioms  with  stare. 

Stare  allegro 

Stare  att^nto 

Star  b^ne,  male 

Star  b^ne  a,  star  male  a 

Stare  al  buio 

Star  di  casa 


To  be  cheerful 
To  be  attentive 
To  be  well,  ill 
To  befit,  not  to  befit 
To  be  in  the  dark 
To  live,  reside 


157 


166 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Stare  in  casa 

Star  C9modo 

Star  fermo 

Stare  fresco 

Stare  con  le  mani  in  mano 

Star  nascosto 

Stare  in  pensi^ro 

Stare  per  far  una  C9sa 

Stare  in  pi^di 

Star  vicino,  lontano 

Star  zitto 

Come  sta  ?   St9  b^ne 


To  stay  in 

To  be  comfortable 

To  be  still 

To  be  sadly  off  {derisory) 

To  be  idle 

To  be  hidden 

To  be  worried 

To  be  on  the  point  of  doing  a  thing 

To  stand  up 

To  be  near,  far 

To  be  silent 

How  do  you  do  ?    I  am  well 


VOCABULARY 


la  disgrazia  misfortune 
il  fango  mud 
il  ghiaccio  ice 
la  nebbia  fog 
il  sole  sun 

brutto  disagreeable,  ugly 
ricco  (-chi,  -che)  rich 

al  giorno  d'  9ggi  nowadays 

non  .  .  .  che  only,  not  but,  nothing 

but 
non  c'  fe  male  pretty  well 
non  c'  h  rimfdio  there  is  no  help 

for  it 
non  mi  par  vero  di  I  can't  believe, 

I  can't  wait  to 
star  di  casa  live,  reside 
stare  in  casa  stay  in  the  house 
star  cgmodo  be  comfortable 
stare  in  pensif ro  worry,  be  worried 
star  per  (w.  inf.)  be  about  to 


accadere,  accadde,  accaduto  happen 

awenire  {like  venire)  happen 

balenare  lighten 

bastare  suffice,  be  enough 

cessare  (di)  cease  (to) 

dispiacere  a  {irr.)  make  sorry, 
cause  to  regret;  mi  dispiace  I 
am  sorry 

diventare  become  (divfnto) 

ghiacciare  freeze 

minacciare  threaten 

nevicare  snow 

occorrere,  occorse,  occorso  be  nec- 
essary 

piQvere,  pi^vve,  piovuto  rain 

rincrescere,  rincrebbe,  rincresciuto 
(a)  {impers.)  make  sorry ;  mi 
rincresce  I  am  sorry  {w.  dat.) 

tirar  v^nto  blow 

tonare  (cf.  110,  d)  thunder 


iS8 


IMPERSONAL  VERBS  §  166 

EXERCISE 


I.  Buon  giomo,  Signore.  Come  sta?  Non  c' e  male,  grazie. 
2.  E  la  Signora  Bondi,  come  sta?  Non  sta  tan  to  bene.  3.  Non  va 
fuori  perche  minaccia  di  nevicare.  4.  Stark  in  casa  tutto  il  giomo. 
5.  Mi  dispiace  che  non  stia  bene  di  salute.  6.  Quando  sara  cessato 
di  nevicare,  fark  una  passeggiata.  7.  Le  dica  che  andro  a  pren- 
derla.  8.  Dove  sta  di  casa  ?  In  Via  Cavour.  9.  Le  rincresce  della 
brutta  notizia.  10.  Per  imparare  una  lingua,  non  basta  che  lo  sco- 
lare  la  studi  e  la  legga.  11.  Occorre  anche  la  pratica.  12.  Rin- 
crebbe  loro  che  non  venissimo.  13.  Awiene  spesso  al  giomo 
d'oggi  che  il  povero  diventi  ricco.  14.  Che  tempo  fa?  Fa  cattivo 
tempo.  15.  II  vento  tira  forte,  ghiaccia,  dighiaccia,  piove,  nevica, 
tutto  a  un  tempo.  Che  brutto  tempo  !  16.  Non  c'  e  quest'  invemo 
che  il  fango,  la  nebbia  e  la  neve.  17.  Allora  non  andro  fuori.  Si 
sta  pill  comodo  in  casa.    18.  Non  mi  piace  che  tiri  vento.  C  b  sole  ? 

II 

I.  What  day  of  the  month  is  it  ?  2.  It  is  the  9th.  3.  What  kind 
of  weather  is  it?  4.  It  is  very  hot.  5.  It  is  lightening,  and  threat- 
ens to  thunder.  6.  Has  it  stopped  raining?  7.  Yes,  and  the  wind 
does  not  blow,  but  there  is  no  sun.  8.  I  shall  stay  in  the  house 
to-day,  but  I  wish  you  to  go  out.  9.  Do  you  think  it  is  raining? 
10.  It  seems  to  me  they  do  not  wish  to  give  it  to  me.  11.  A  mis- 
fortune has  occurred,  and  we  are  very  sorry.  12.  I  am  about  to 
go  to  France.  13.  They  need  two  tmnks.  14.  How  do  you  do? 
I  am  well,  but  my  mother  is  ill.  15.  I  am  sorry,  but  do  not  be 
worried.  16.  Your  mother  will  be  better  to-morrow.  17.  I  hope  so 
[it].  18.  It  seems  to  me  I  have  nothing  but  misfortunes.  19.  She 
lives  in  Florence.  20.  I  live  on  Via  del  Casato.  21.  One  is  very 
comfortable  in  Via  Cavour. 


159 


167  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


LESSON   XXVII 

CONJUNCTIVES  WITH  A  DEPENDENT  INFINITIVE. 
THE  VERB  POTERE 

167.  Conjunctive  Objects  with  a  Dependent  Infinitive. 

a.  Generally  speaking,  if  a  dependent  infinitive  has  a 
pronoun  object  (or  objects),  the  latter  may  either  be  ap- 
pended to  it  (cf.  95,  6),  or  precede  the  main  verb. 

Manda  a  prenderlo     ~l  ,^  ,    .     ,  . 

_  ,  _    ,       ^  He  sends  for  him 

Lo  manda  a  prf  ndere  J 


Vorrebbe  dirmelo? 
Me  lo  vorrebbe  dire 


.     ^  V  Should  you  be  willing  to  tell  it  to  me  ? 


6.  But  when  the  governing  verb  is  impersonal,  the  object 
must  go  with  the  infinitive. 

Npn  convi^ne  farlo  It  is  not  convenient  to  do  so 

Bisogna  dargliela  It  is  necessary  to  give  it  to  her 

c.  Whereas,  if  the  governing  verb  be  far«,  lasciare,  sentire, 
udire,  or  vedere,  the  object  must  precede  the  main  verb.  The 
dependent  verb,  if  transitive,  becomes  passive  in  meaning. 

Lo  fecero  fucilare  They  had  him  shot 

Ti  s?nto  cantare  I  hear  you  singing 

Lo  lasciarono  battere  They  allowed  him  to  be  beaten 

I.  If  the  object  of  either  verb  be  a  noun,  it  usually  follows 
both  verbs. 

Carletto  amava  di  sentire  sonare      Charlie  liked  to  hear  the  band  play 

la  banda 
II  generale  fece  punire  il  soldato         The  general  had  the  soldier  pun- 
ished 

i6o 


OBJECT  OF  DEPENDENT  INFINITIVE    §§  167-168 


2.  If  the  main  verb  also  has  an  object,  that  object  becomes 
indirect. 

Glielo  vidi  fare  I  saw  him  do  it 

Per  non  fare  prendere  un  raff  red-  In  order  not  to  let  the  cattle  take 

dore  ai  bQvi  cold 

Fecero  accettare  la  carica  al  gene-  They  made  the  general  accept  the 

rale  office 

La  fanno  accettare  al  generale  They  make  the  general  accept  it 

168.  The  Verb  potere  *be  able.* 

Principal  Parts  :  potere,  pot§ndo,  pgsso,  potr^,  pot§i,  potato 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 

P9SS0            possiamo  P9ssa              possiamo 

pu9i              potete  P9ssa              possiate 

pu9              p9ssono  P9ssa             p9ssano 


a.  Cf.  132,  a,  i. 

la  banda  band 

11  caff?  caf^ 

11  cameri^re  waiter 

la  fin^stra  window 

11  gelato  ice,  ice  cream 

la  gi^ia  joy 

la  giratina  little  walk 

lo  spasso  walk,  excursion 

lo  statute  constitution 


a  un  tratto  suddenly 

fuQri  (di)  outside  (of) 

fuQri  di  pgrta  outside  the  walls 

m^ntre  while 


VOCABULARY 


piccino  littie,  tiny 

ascoltare  listen,  listen  to  (ascolto) 

condurre,  conduc^ndo,  conduco,  con- 
dun^,  condussl,  condptto  take, 
conduct 

figurarsl  imagine 

ordinare  order  (ordino) 

riunire  unite,  assemble 

sonare  (110,  d)  play  (an  instrument) 

sorbire  sip 

spicciarsi  hasten,  hurry 

spiegare  explain 

stancarsl  become  tired 


i6i 


§  168  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

EXERCISE 

I 
PERCHfe  OGGI  SUONA  LA  BANDA? 

Quella  prima  domenica  del  mese  di  giugno,  Carletto,  tutto  ves- 
tito  a  festa,  fu  condotto  a  spasso  dal  suo  babbo. 

Prima  essi  fecero  una  giratina  fuori  di  porta,  poi  ritornarono  in 
paese,  dove,  nella  piazza  principale,  sonava  la  banda. 

Carletto  si  stance  a  stare  in  piedi.  Allora  il  suo  babbo  lo  con- 
dusse  al  caffe,  li  nella  piazza,  e  gli  fece  prendere  un  gelato.  II 
gelato  piaceva  tan  to  a  Carletto :  figuratevi  la  sua  gioia  di  poterlo 
sorbire  seduto,  mentre  ascoltava  la  banda. 

A  un  tratto  egli  domando  : 

—  Babbo,  perche  suona  oggi  la  banda,  e  perche  in  molte  case 
ci  sono  le  bandiere  alle  finestre  ? 

—  Perchb  oggi  e  la  festa  dello  Statuto  —  gli  rispose  il  babbo. 

—  E  che  cosa  e  lo  Statuto  ? 

—  Ah  1  tu  sei  cos\  piccino,  non  saprei  come  spiegarlo :  ti  basti 
sapere  che  lo  Statuto  e  la  piu  solenne  nostra  festa  civile,  la  quale 
insegna  a  tutti  noi  Italiani,  adulti  e  piccini,  che  siamo  liberi  e  riu- 
niti  in  una  sola  grande  famiglia. 

Allora  Carletto,  battendo  le  mani,  esclamo  :  Viva  P  Italia  I 

II 

I.  What  day  is  Constitution  Day  in  Italy?  It  is  the  first  Sun- 
day of  June.  2 .  Why  are  there  tricolored  flags  at  the  windows  .'* 
3.  Can  his  father  explain  it  to  him  .'*  4.  He  will  explain  it  to  him 
when  he  is  ten  years  old.  5.  Charlie's  father  took  him  to  walk. 
6.  Charlie  will  become  tired  standing.  7.  His  father  will  take  him 
to  the  cafe.  8.  Will  he  give  him  [have  him  take]  an  ice  ?  9.  He 
cannot  have  him  take  it  because  there  is  no  room.  10.  Now  they 
have  found  a  table  and  they  can  order  it.  11.  The  waiter  will  bring 
it  to  them.    12.  Charlie  can  hardly  wait  to  sip  it.    13.  But  his  father 

162 


OBJECT  OF  DEPENDENT  INFINITIVE        §  168 

says :  "  Wait  a  moment.  Let  him  bring  it  to  you."  14.  The  waiter 
would  not  make  them  wait  if  he  could  hurry.  15.  They  like  the 
ice  very  much.  16.  They  can  sip  it  while  they  listen  to  the  band. 
17.  Charlie's  father  thinks  it  is  beginning  to  rain.  18.  If  it  rained, 
they  would  leave  the  cafe.    19.  Charlie  does  not  wish  it  to  rain. 

20.  He  wishes  to  stay  there  where  he  can  hear  the  band  play. 

21.  We  should  like  to  hear  them  sing.  22.  If  it  should  thunder 
and  lighten  they  would  not  be  able  to  stay  there.  23.  There  is  the 
sun  !    It  must  have  stopped  raining. 

DIALOGO 

DALLA  SARTA 

£  noioso  d'  andare  dalla  sarta,  ma  le  signore  ne  hanno  troppo 
bisogno. 

—  Dove  sta  la  sua  sarta  ?    Ho  sentito  ch'  h  molto  brava. 

—  Sta  air  ultimo  piano  di  una  casa  in  Via  Tornabuoni.  L'  av- 
verto  che  ci  sono  molte  scale.    Vuole  che  V  accompagni  ? 

—  Mi  farebbe  un  vero  piacere.  Cos\  mi  aiutera  a  scegliere  il 
figurino  e  la  st^ffa.  .  .  .   Vorrei  un  abito  da  passeggio. 

—  Come  dev'  essere,  scuro  o  chiaro } 

—  Siccome  sto  per  fare  un  lungo  viaggio,  me  ne  occorrerebbero 
due,  uno  d'  inverno  e  uno  di  mezza  stagione.  Ho  bisogno  anche 
di  un  vestito  da  casa  e  un  vestito  scollato  da  sera. 

—  Cominciamo  col  vestito  da  casa.  Lo  f arei  di  una  stoffa  mezza 
seta,  con  guamizione  d'  un  tQno  piu  scuro. 

—  Gli  abiti  da  passeggio  li  vorrei  colla  sottana  a  pi^ghe,  molto 
semplice,  all'  inglese,  e  piuttosto  corta,  perch'  e  piu  pratica.  Mi  ci 
metta  nella  giacchetta  una  fQdera  bianca. 

—  Mi  raccomando  che  la  fodera  sia  forte,  perch^  quella  dell'  ul- 
timo vestito  che  mi  fece  a  me,  mi  si  sciupb  subito. 

—  Quanto  al  colore,  ci  pensero  e  glielo  diro  quest'  altra  volta 
quando  tomero  per  la  prova  del  vestito  da  casa. 

163 


§169 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


LESSON   XXVIII 


THE  SUBJUNCTIVE.  THE  VERB  DOLERE 

169.  The  Subjunctive  in  Dependent  Clauses.  The  sub- 
junctive, generally  speaking,  is  used  to  express  uncertainty, 
or  at  most  something  less  than  certainty.  It  is  required  in 
dependent  clauses, 

a.  After  verbs  of  causation  or  prevention,  desire  or  emo- 
tion, concession,  doubt,  opinion,  or  ignorance. 


II  generale  ha  dato  ordine  che  non 

smpntino  il  campo 
Impediranno  che  il  nemico  s'  awi- 

cini 
Pregava  che  fossero  generosi 
Si  messe  in  t^sta  che  1'  avessero 

fatto  a  p9sta 
Credei  d'  indovinare  che  cercasse 

di  morire 
Di    dove    §sca,    dove   vada,    non 

lo  S9 
Mi  fa  piacere  che  vivano  li?ti 
Temo  che  il  mio  figHu9lo  sia  am- 

malato 


The  general  has  given  orders  not 

to  break  camp 
They  will  prevent  the  enemy  from 

approaching 
He  begged  them  to  be  generous 
He  took  it  into  his  head  that  they 

had  done  it  on  purpose 
I  fancied  I  had  guessed  that  he 

sought  to  die 
Where  he  comes  from,  whither  he 

is  going,  I  do  not  know 
I  am  glad  they  are  living  happily 
I  am  afraid  my  little  boy  is  ill 


I.  Pleonastic  non  is  commonly  used  in  subordinate  clauses  after 
temere,  badare,  mancar  pgco,  non  dubitare,  non  c'  h  dubbio,  and 

similar  expressions. 

Temo  che  il  viaggio  non  sia  tr9ppo      I  am  afraid  the  journey  will  be 

lungo  too  long 

Pqco  manc5  che  non  cadesse  He  came  near  falling    (It  lacked 

little  that  he  should  fall) 
Non  dubito  che  non  sia  vero  I  do  not  doubt  that  it  is  true 

164 


THE  SUBJUNCTIVE  §  169 

&.  After  a  verb  used  negatively  or  interrogatively. 

Non   h  vero    che    i    ricchi    siano  It  is  not  true   that  the  rich  are 

s?mpre  felici  always  happy 

Di  rado  awifne  che  un  foresti^re  It  rarely  happens  that  a  foreigner 

parli  italiano  speditamente  speaks  Italian  fluently 

Chi  direbbe  che  fossero  Inglesi  ?  Who  would  say  they  were  English? 

c.  After  conjunctions  of  time  (before  which),  concession, 
and  purpose  (not  yet  accomplished),  and  those  meaning  'as 
if,'  'whenever,'  'wherever,'  'without.'    (Cf.  230,  a.) 

Glielo  dir9  prima  che  vfngano  I  shall  tell  you  before  they  come 

Purchfe     guarisca,     non     imp9rta  Provided  he  recovers,  nothing  else 

deir  altro  matters 

Benchfe  lo  dica  lui  stesso,  non  lo  Though  he  says  so  himself,  I  don't 

credo  believe  it 

Tento  di  comprare  un  vagabondo,  He   tried  to  pay  a  vagabond  to 

perchfe  facesse  una  testimonianza  give  false  testimony 

falsa 

Stava  in  pensi^ro,  cpme  se  tem^sse  He  was  in  anxiety,  as  if  he  feared 

qualche  disgrazia  som^  misfortune 

Dovunque  sia,  lo  troveremo  Wherever  it  is,  we  shall  find  it 

Passarono  div^rsi  minuti  sfnza  che  Several   minutes  passed,   without 

desse  un  segno  di  vita  his  giving  a  sign  of  life 

d.  In  conditions  whose  conclusion  is  in  past  future  (cf .  93,  a). 

Se   rimanesse,   farebbe   piacere  a      If   he   should   remain,    he  would 
sua  madre  please  his  mother 

e.  After  impersonal  verbs  or  expressions. 

Si  pub  dire  che  1'  ugmo  abbia  due      It  may  be  said  that  man  has  two 

nature  natures 

Occorrerebbe  che  andasse  via  subito      It  would  be  necessary  for  him  to 

go  away  at  once 

*i.  When  the  subordinate  verb  in  the  subjunctive  has  a  subject, 
the  order  is  often  such  as  to  make  that  subject  appear  to  belong 
with  the  impersonal  main  verb. 

•6s 


§  169 


AN   ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Tutto    il    paesaggio    pareva    che  All  the  landscape  seemed  to  ex- 

dicesse  la  tranquillita  press  tranquillity 

La    battaglia    era   venuta   a    quel  The  battle  had  reached  the  point 

punto  in  cui  la  direzipne  bisogna  where  it  is  necessary  that  author- 

che  sia  supplita  dal  senno  ity  be  replaced  by  judgment 

/.  After  superlatives,  and  'only'  in  relative  clauses. 

Lavora  il  piii  che  sia  possibile  He  works  the  most  he  can 

La  pill  bella  cittk  ch'  io  abbia  mai  The   most   beautiful   city   I   have 


vista 


ever  seen 


*i.   Sometimes,  for  vivacity  or  emphasis,  after  comparatives. 

II    brigandaggio    h    molto    meno         Brigandage  is  much  less  frequent 
frequ^nte  che  non  lo  fosse  than  it  was 

g.  In  an  attributive  clause  which  predicates  of  the  ante- 
cedent something  doubtful,  limited,  or  not  yet  accomplished. 

Un  Americano  che  vada  in  Italia 
e  studi  il  movimento  politico 


C^rca  degli  orecchini  che  accom- 

pagnino  la  collana 
Non  c'  h  uno  su  di^ci  che  la  pgnsi 

come  lui 

h»  After  indefinites. 

Chi  ci  avesse  visti  dal  basso,  ci 
avrebbe  presi  per  due  pazzi 

Per  quanto  patisse,  non  si  lagno 

Chiunque  venga,  non  sara  ricevuto 

/.   In  indirect  questions. 

Tutti  sanno  quale  f  amoso  cacciatore 

egli  fosse 
Pagherei  sapere  quello  che  faccia 


An  American  who  should  go  to 
Italy  and  study  the  political 
situation  (would  find,  etc.) 

She  is  looking  for  earrings  to 
match  the  necklace 

There  is  not  one  in  ten  who  is  of 
his  opinion 


Any  one  who  had  seen  us  from 

below  would  have  taken  us  for 

two  madmen 
No  matter  how  much  he  suffered, 

he  did  not  complain 
Whoever  may  come,  he  will  not 

be  received 

Everybody  knows  what  a  famous 

hunter  he  was 
I  wonder  what  he  does 


66 


THE  SUBJUNCTIVE  §§  169-171 

Senti  quanta  fosse  la  grandezza  di      He   realized   how  great  was   the 
queir  u9mo  nobility  of  that  man 

Note  i.  For  the  subjunctive  may  usually  be  substituted  the  future, 
when  it  relates  to  future  time.  It  is  always  future,  when  the  matter 
is  certain. 

Note  2.  Che  is  not  infrequently  omitted. 

Una  sera  sembro  dicesse  avessi  date       One  evening  it  seemed  that  he  said 
r^tta  ai  su^i  consigli !  that  if  only  I  had  given  heed  to 

his  advice  — ! 

170.  Sequence   of   Tenses,     a.  A   principal   verb   in   the 

present,  imperative,  future,  or  present  perfect  is   followed 

by  the  present  or  present  perfect  subjunctive. 

Non  vuole  ch'  io  rimanga  ?  Do  you  not  wish  me  to  remain  ? 

Dille  che  venga  Tell  her  to  come 

Non  crederk  che  sia  venuto  He  will  not  believe  I  have  come 

Non  hg  richi^sto  che  vada  I  have  not  demanded  that  he  go 

b,  A  principal  verb  in  any  other  past  tense  will  be  followed 

by  the  past  or  past  perfect  subjunctive. 

Si  diceva  che  avesse  dei  par^nti  It  was  said  that  he  had  some  poor 

P9veri  relatives 

Bisognerebbe  che  partissi  I  should  have  to  leave 

Non  dicemmo  che  fosse  mgrto  We  did  not  say  he  had  died 

I.  The  past  tenses  of  the  subjunctive  may,  of  course,  follow  a 
present  tense  of  the  main  verb,  where  the  sense  requires  it. 

Crediamo  che  fossero  partiti  prima      We  believe  they  had  gone  before 
che  noi  ne  avessimo  notizia  we  had  news  of  it 

171.  Subjunctive  in  Independent  Clauses.  The  subjunc- 
tive is  used  in  the  independent  clause, 

a.  To  supply  the  missing  third  person  of  the  imperative 

(cf.  92,  a). 

Sia  detto  ad  onor  del  vero  Be  it  said  out  of  respect  for  the 

truth 

167 


§§  171-172 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


6.  In  the  past  tense  to  express  an  augury  or  imprecation, 

usually  unlikely  of  fulfillment. 

Ho  due  canarini.  Tu  vedessi  come      I  have  two  canaries.    If  you  could 
son  graziosi !  only  see  how  pretty  they  are ! 

172.  The  Verb  dolere  'grieve,'  'pain.* 

Principal  Parts  :  Dolere,  dol§ndo,  dglgo,  dorr^,  dglsi,  doluto 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 

d9lgo  (d9glio)  dogliamo  (dolghiamo)     d9lga  (d9glia)  dogliamo  (dolghiamo) 
du9li  dolete  d9lga  dogliate 


du9le 


dolete 

d9lgono  (d9gliono)         d9lga 


d9lgano  (d9gliano) 


VOCABULARY 


la  difesa  defense 
il  dovere  duty 
la  faccia  face 
la  salvezza  safety 
lo  scQpo  purpose 
lo  spirito  spirit 

militare  military 
mite  mild,  gentle 
selvaggio  savage,  wild 
mnano  human 
vile  cowardly 

cpntro  against 

finche  as  long  as 

finche  .  .  .  non  [w.  subj.)  until 

qualora  whenever 

qualunque  (adj.)  whatever 


sebb^ne  although 

accrescere  increase 

alterare  alter 

comandare  command 

deprimere,  depr^ssi,  deprfsso  de- 
press, lower 

dimostrare  show,  demonstrate 

esitare  hesitate 

esporre,  espon^ndo,  espongo,  esposi, 
esposto  expose 

impedire  prevent 

importare  (impers.)  be  important 

lanciare  hurl 

punire  punish 

richifdere,  richi^si,  richi^sto  de- 
mand 

sembrare  seem  (sembro) 

sparire  disappear 


1 68 


THE  SUBJUNCTIVE  §  172 

EXERCISE 

I  (From  La  terza  Italia) 

I.  Lo  scopo  supremo  delle  istituzioni  militari  b  la  difesa  del 
paese.  2.  A  questo  scopo  importa  soprattutto  che  non  sia  depresso 
lo  spirit©  militare.  3.  Giuseppe  Garibaldi  ha  sempre  comandato 
forze  troppo  piccole  perche  ci  possa  fornire  insigni  es^mpi  di  or- 
ganizzazione ;  ma  ha  vinto.  4.  Noi  Americani  possiamo  dire  sin- 
ceramente  che  non  siamo  militaristi;  ma  ci  sembrerebbe  un  vile 
r  uomo  che  parlasse  contro  il  dovere  di  esporre  la  vita,  qualora  sia 
necessario,  per  la  patria.  5.  II  nostro  Lincoln  era  1'  uomo  piu  mite, 
pill  antimilitarista  che  sia  stato  al  mondo.  6.  Ma  dimostro  che  egli 
non  avrebbe  esitato  un  momento  a  lanciare  il  suo  paese  in  una 
guerra  tremenda,  se  la  salvezza  del  paese  stesso  T  avesse  richiesto. 

7.  Le  guerre  sono  una  cosa  terribile,  uno  spettacolo  selvaggio; 
speriamo  che  col  tempo  finiscano  per  sparire  della  faccia  della  terra. 

8.  Finche  il  mondo  rimane  quello  che  fe,  bisognerebbe  alterare 
profondamente  la  natura  umana  per  impedire  che  la  coscienza 
della  superiority  nazionale  non  accresca  le  energie  individue,  in 
qualunque  direzione  esse  vengano  applicate. 

II 

1.  Let  us  hope  that  wars  may  disappear  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  2.  As  long  as  the  world  remains  what  it  is,  it  is  important 
that  men  should  know  how  to  fight  for  their  country.  3.  In  what- 
ever direction  they  are  going,  they  wish  the  soldiers  to  follow 
them.  4.  Do  you  think  that  the  supreme  purpose  of  military 
institutions  is  the  defense  of  the  country?  5.  The  general  gave 
orders  that  his  soldiers  should  not  expose  their  lives  that  day. 
6.  We  wish  to  prevent  the  military  spirit  from  increasing.  7.  It 
grieves  us  that  you  should  speak  of  it.  8.  It  seems  to  us  that  the 
defense  of  the  country  is  important  above  all.  9.  Although  he  was 
a  mild  man,  the  safety  of  the  country  demanded  that  he  should 

169 


§  173  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

fight.  lo.  They  would  talk  against  a  soldier  who  should  hesitate 
to  expose  his  life.  ii.  We  are  afraid  that  he  will  seem  a  coward, 
although  he  has  done  his  duty.  12.  The  general  had  him  punished, 
although  he  had  shown  the  military  spirit.  13.  He  exposed  his 
life  whenever  the  safety  of  the  country  demanded  it.  1 4.  We  must 
alter  the  world  before  wars  can  disappear.  15.  He  seems  the  great- 
est general  that  has  ever  commanded  our  soldiers.  16.  If  we  could 
reduce  the  military  spirit,  we  should  prevent  wars  from  increasing. 
17,  The  general  ordered  us  to  follow  him  in  order  not  to  expose 
his  soldiers. 


LESSON   XXIX 

THE  INFINITIVE.    THE  VERB  DIRE 

173.  The  Infinitive.    The  infinitive  may  be  used  — 

fl.  As  a  substantive,  in  all  cases ;  it  often  best  translates 
the  English  gerund  in  -ing  (of.  193,  d). 

Mi  du9le  11  dirlo  It  pains  me  to  say  it 

Non  h  assurdo  lo  sperare  che  si  It  is  not  absurd  to  hope  that  war 

P9ssa  rinunziare  alia  guerra  may  be  given  up 

La  produzione  dell'  Inghilt^rra  e  The  production  of  England  is  far 

lungi  dal  bastare  ai  su9i  bisogni  from  sufELcing  for  its  needs 

Le  arti  giovano  al  paese  nel  suo  The  arts  are  helpful  to  a  country  in 

andare  verso  la  civilth,  its  movement  toward  civilization 

Stimava  il  ridere  essere  medicina  He  thought  that  laughing  was  a 

sicura  sure  remedy 

Al  primo  entrare  On  first  entering 

Fu  imprigionato  per  aver  congiu-  He   was    imprisoned    because    of 

rato  haying  conspired 

&.  As  a  verb,  governing  objects,  etc.,  being  substituted 
very  often,  especially  where  the  subject  is  identical,  for  a 
dependent  clause  (usually  in  the  subjunctive)  of  time,  cause, 

170 


THE  INFINITIVE 


§173 


command,  purpose,  result,  condition  or  concession,  or  indi- 
rect discourse  or  question. 


Le  d9nne,  a  vederci  passare,  pian- 

gevano 
Mi  tel§foni  prima  di  venire 
DItegli  di  scrivermi 
Ha  promesso  di  mutar  vita 

Chi  h  posto  tanto  in  alto  da  non 

temere  di  cadere  ? 
L'  ha  detto  in  m9do  da  farsi  credere 

A  sentirlo  parlare,  si  direbbe  che 

fosse  Franeese 
Lo  lasciarono  partire,  a  patto  di 

tomare  1'  indomani 
Credo  di  doverlo  fare 
Cercava  qualche  lu9go  pve  fare  il 

suo  dep9sito 


The  women,  as  they  saw  us  pass, 

were  weeping 
Telephone  me  before  you  come 
Tell  him  to  write  me 
He  has  promised  to  change   his 

way  of  life 
Who  is  so  high  that  he  need  fear 

no  fall? 
He  said  it  in  such  a  way  as  to 

make  them  believe  him 
If  you  heard  him  speak,  you  would 

say  he  was  a  Frenchman 
They    let    him    go,    provided    he 

should  return  next  day 
I  think  I  have  to  do  it 
He  was  looking  for  some   place 

where  he  might  make  his  deposit 


I.  Or  it  may  be  at  once  substantive  and  verb,  governing  an 
object  while  itself  an  object. 

Si  propose  di  far  un  viaggio  He  intended  to  make  a  journey 

c.  EUiptically,  with  the  force  of  a  finite  verb. 


E  p9i  da  capo  a  parlare  inglese 

Ecco  venire  f  rettoloso  un  volontario 

Qui,  il  Griso  a  proporre,  don  Ro- 

drigo  a  disciitere  finch^  ebbero 

concertata  la   mani^ra   di   con- 

durre  a  fine  1'  impresa 

Che  fare.? 

PiuttQsto  morlre  che  fare  una  tal 
C9sa    - 


Then  they  began  all  over  again 
to  talk  English 

Here  came  up  hastily  a  volunteer 

Hereupon  Griso  began  to  propose 
and  Don  Rodrigo  to  discuss, 
until  they  had  arranged  a  method 
for  bringing  the  enterprise  to  a 
conclusion 

What  is  to  be  done  ? 

I  would  rather  die  than  do  such  a 
thing 


171 


§174 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


174.  Government  of  the  Infinitive.    The  infinitive  may 
depend  upon  — 

a,  A  noun,  by  means  of  da  or  di. 

Macchina  da  scrivere  Typewriter 

Ha  intenzione  di  farlo  He  intends  to  do  it 


6.  An  adjective. 

1.  By  means  of  a, 

II  colt^llo  e  adatto  a  tagUare 
Siamo  pronti  a  partire 
Fu  il  primo  a  entrare 
C9se  leggiadre  a  riguardare 

2.  By  means  of  da. 

II  SU9I0  h  ripido  da  doverci  posare 
i  pi?di  b?n  pari 

3.  By  means  of  di. 
Siamo  felici  di  vederlo 

c.  A  verb. 

1.  Directly,  upon  the  following 

ardire  dare 

bastare  suffice 

bisognare  be  necessary 

convenire  be  suitable 

dovere  owe,  must,  ought 

essere  d*  uQpo,  essere  (di)  mesti?ri, 

be  necessary 
fare  make,  cause,  have  done 
lasciare  allow,  let 

2.  By  means  of  a.  Verbs  of  motion  or  rest,  and  many  verbs 
signifying  the  source,  beginning,  continuance,  or  promotion  of  an 
action,  take  a  before  the  infinitive. 

Andb  a  chiamarla  He  went  to  call  her 

Si  misero  a  discorrere  in  italiano         They  began  to  talk  in  Italian 


The  knife  is  useful  for  cutting 
We  are  ready  to  leave 
He  was  the  first  to  enter 
Things  lovely  to  look  at 


The  ground  is  so  steep  that  we 
must  plant  our  feet  very  evenly 


We  are  happy  to  see  him 


occorrere  be  necessary 
osare  dare 
parere  appear 
potere  be  able 
sapere  know  how 
sentire  hear,  feel 
udire  hear 
vedere  see 
volere  wish,  will 


THE  INFINITIVE 


174-175 


St^tte  a  sentire  con  aria  di  curiositk      He  stood  listening  with  an  air  of 

curiosity 
Seguitavo  a  Ifggere  ad  alta  voce         I  went  on  reading  aloud 


3.  By  means  of  di. 
means  of  di. 


Most  other  verbs  govern  the  infinitive  by 


Mi  par  di  averlo  veduto 
Promette  di  venire 
M'  ha  scritto  di  mandarglielo 
Dimostra  di  avere  gran  ricchezza 


It  seems  to  me  I  have  seen  him 
He  promises  to  come 
He  has  written  me  to  send  it  to  him 
He  appears  to  have  great  wealth 


4.  In  special  senses,  by  means  of  per  and  da.  The  infinitive 
with  per  expresses  purpose;  with  da  it  expresses  obligation,  or 
propriety,  and  usually  may  be  translated  by  the  passive. 


O  anima  che  vai  per  esser  li^ta 

Che  r^sta  da  fare  ? 
Ci  sark  molto  da  aspettare  ? 
Le  costruzioni  francesi  sono  da 
evitarsi 


O  spirit  who  goest  to  (in  order  to) 

be  joyful 
What  remains  to  be  done  ? 
Will  there  be  long  to  wait  ? 
French    constructions   should   b« 

avoided 


175.  The  Verb  dire  'say,'  'tell.*    (Cf.  130,  e.) 

PjiiNCiPAL  Parts  :  Dire,  dic?ndo,  dico,  dir^,  dissi,  detto 


Present  Indicative 

Present  Subjuncti 

dico         diciamo 

dica 

didamo 

did          dite 

dica 

didate 

dice         dicono 

dica 
VOCABULARY 

dlrano 

il  bilancio  balance,  account 

la  civiltli  civilization 

la  cosci^nza  consciousness 

V  esfrcito  m.  army 
11  danno  damage 

V  evenifnza/;  occurrence 
1*  Qnda/i  wave 


1'  ordinamento  m.  arrangement 

la  povertll  poverty 

il  sostegno  support 

la  spesa  expense 

assurdo  absurd 

civile  civilized,  dvil 

fiacco  weak 


173 


§  175  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

appartenere  belong  trattarsi  di  be  a  question  of 

diffondere,  diffusi,  diffuse  scatter  eroicamente  heroically 

figurare  figure  forse  perhaps 

rinunziare  a  give  up  {sometimes  di  in  quanto  a  as  for 

before  an  inf.)  v?rso  towards 

EXERCISE 

I  (From  La  terza  Italia) 

I.  Non  e  da  dimenticare  che  in  Italia  lo  spirito  militare  e  molto 
fiacco.  2 .  Naturalmente,  in  quanto  a  spese  militari,  la  miglior  cosa 
sarebbe  che  se  ne  potesse  fare  a  meno.  3.  Forse  potra  venire  un 
giorno  in  cui  queste  spese  non  figureranno  pili  nei  bilanci  delle 
nazioni  civili.  4.  Ma  e  assurdo  il  credere  che  una  nazione  possa 
rinunziare  a  tenersi  pronta  per  ogni  evenienza.  5.  La  relativa  po- 
verty deir  Italia  moderna  dipende  soprattutto,  come  credo  d'  aver 
dimostrato,  dai  suoi  cattivi  ordinamenti  amministrativi,  ordinamenti 
che  non  servono  di  sostegno  al  paese  nel  suo  andare  verso  la  civiltk. 
6.  Questa  onda  di  sentimento,  che  si  cerca  di  diffondere  nel  popolo 
italiano,  contraria  a  tutto  cio  che  sa  di  vita  militare,  finira  per  esser 
di  grave  danno  al  paese.  7.  Non  si  tratta  di  fare  del  militarismo, 
ma  di  far  si  che  ogni  buon  figlio  d'  Italia  abbia  la  coscienza  d'  ap- 
partenere a  un  grande  popolo,  e  sia  determinato  a  fare  eroicamente 
il  suo  dovere.  8.  Non  sarebbe  difficile  far  combattere  i  soldati 
quando  1'  esercito  fosse  condotto  da  buoni  generali. 

II 

I.  We  think  we  have  shown  that  it  is  not  a  question  of  the  military 
spirit.  2.  We  must  not  give  up  holding  ourselves  in  readiness  to 
defend  our  country.  3.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  war  will  vanish  from 
the  face  of  the  earth.  4.  We  wished  to  go  to  France,  although  the 
expenses  of  the  journey  would  be  great.  5.  It  is  absurd  to  think 
that  the  army  is  not  led  by  good  generals.  6.  We  are  happy  to 
know  that  they  are  talking  against  everything  that  smacks  of  war. 

174 


NUMBER  §§  176-177 

7.  It  is  important  that  we  should  be  ready  to  leave.  8.  They  ended 
by  giving  up  following  the  army.  9.  They  would  have  told  me  to 
write  them  about  it  if  they  had  wished  to  know.  10.  He  hesi- 
tates to  leave,  and  we  are  trying  to  prevent  him  from  leaving. 
1 1 .  Would  it  be  difficult  to  make  the  army  leave  before  the  gen- 
eral returns?  12.  It  pains  us  to  see  that  he  cannot  write.  13.  It 
pleases  us  to  belong  to  a  great  people.  14.  They  have  several 
letters  to  write.  15.  They  are  glad  to  write  them.  16.  We  cannot 
hear  them  sing. 


LESSON   XXX 
NUMBER  IN  NOUNS  AND  ADJECTIVES.    THE  VERB  PIACERE 

176.  Invariables.  All  monosyllables,  and  all  nouns  end- 
ing in  a  consonant,  an  accented  vowel,  u,  i,  or  ie  (except 
moglie),  remain  unchanged  in  the  plural. 

il  re  the  king ;  i  re 
il  lapis  the  pencil ;  i  lapis 
la  liberty  liberty  ;  le  liberty 
il  chill  the  cue-owl ;  i  chiii 
la  crisi  the  crisis ;  le  crisi 
la  s^rie  the  series ;  le  s?rie 

177.  Feminine  Plurals,  a.  Feminine  nouns,  and  feminine 
forms  of  adjectives,  ending  in  unaccented  a,  change  a  to  e 
in  the  plural. 

la  spazzola  the  brush ;  le  spazzole 

I .  Those  in  -ca  and  -ga  form  the  plural  respectively  in  -che  and 
-ghe,  inserting  the  h  to  preserve  the  hard  sound  of  c  and  g. 

la  barca  the  boat ;  le  barche 

la  bottega  the  shop ;  le  botteghe 

la  mano  bianca  the  white  hand ;  le  mani  blanche 


§§  177-178  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

2.  Nouns  (but  not  adjectives)  in  unaccented  -cia  and  -gia  pre- 
ceded by  a  consonant  drop  i  before  the  e  of  the  plural. 

la  provincia  the  province ;  le  province 
la  piaggia  the  beach ;  le  piagge 
But 

la  nostalgia  homesickness ;  le  nostalgie 

la  sottana  grigia  the  gray  shirt ;  le  sottane  grigie 

3.  Feminine  nouns  in  0  and  e  (not  ie)  form  their  plural  in  i. 

la  mano  the  hand ;  le  mani 
la  lite  the  lawsuit ;  le  liti 

178.  Masculine  Plurals,  a.  Masculine  nouns  in  a,  0,  e 
(not  ie),  and  masculine  forms  of  adjectives  in  0  or  e,  form 
their  plural  in  i. 

il  papa  the  pope ;  i  papi 

il  probl^ma  the  problem  ;  i  probl^mi 

il  socialista  the  socialist ;  i  socialisti 

il  buono  Inglese  the  good  Englishman ;  i  buoni  Inglesi 

r  Italiano  intelligente  the  intelligent  Italian ;  gP  Italiani  intelligenti 

1.  Those  in  -ca  and  -ga  form  their  plural  respectively  in  -chi 
and  -ghi.  ^  ^^^.^  ^^vq  duke ;  i  duchi 

il  coUf  ga  the  colleague ;  i  collf ghi 

Except  B§lga  '  Belgian/  of  common  gender,  which  has  a  mas- 
culine plural  Bflgi,  and  a  feminine  Bflghe. 

2.  Those  in  unaccented  -io  change  io  to  i  (often  written  i,  j,  or 
ii).   Where  the  i  is  accented,  the  plural  is  always  ii. 

Io  studio  the  study ;  gli  studi 
il  f Qglio  the  sheet  of  paper ;  i  fggli 
But 

1'  oblio  forgetfulness ;  gli  oblii 

3.  When  a  noun  in  -ista  refers  to  a  woman  and  takes  the 
feminine  gender,  its  plural  ends  in  e. 

la  socialista  the  woman  socialist ;  le  socialiste 
176 


NUMBER  §  178 

b.  Those  in  -go  form  their  plural  in  -ghi. 

V  alb^rgo  the  hotel ;  gli  alb^rghi 

1.  But  those  in  unaccented  -fago,  and  those  in  unaccented  -logo 
when  referring  to  scientists,  form  the  plural  in  -gi. 

antropQfago  man-eating;  antropgfagi 
il  filQlogo  the  philologist ;  i  filglogi 
But 

il  dialogo  dialogue ;  i  dialoghi 

2.  Mago  has  two  plurals,  differing  according  to  meaning:  maghi 
'magicians'  and  magi  'Magi.' 

c.  Those  in  -co  form  their  plural  in  -chi  if  the  penult  is 
accented ;  otherw^ise  in  -ci.     Adjectives  in  -co  likewise. 

il  mf  dico  ricco  the  rich  physician ;  i  mf  dici  ricchi 

il  fuQco  magico  the  magic  fire ;  i  fuQchi  magici 

il  ci?co  stanco  the  tired  blind  man :  i  ci?chi  stanchi 

il  mgnaco  austriaco  the  Austrian  monk ;  i  mgnaci  austriaci 

1.  The  following  words,  though  the  penult  is  accented,  form 
their  plurals  in  -ci: 

amico  friend  gr?co  Greek 

nemico,  inimico  enemy  pgrco  pig 

Note.    Greco  has  a  regular  plural  in  the  phrase  vini  grechi  'Greek 
wines,' 

2.  The  following  words,  although  the  penult  is  unaccented, 
form  their  plural  in  -chi: 

carico  loaded  manico  handle  strascico  train  of  gown 

dimentico  neglectful  parroco  parish  priest  tgssico  poison 

fondaco  warehouse  stgmaco  stomach  trafS.co  traffic 

lastrico  pavement  stgrico  historic 

Note.    There  are  further  exceptions  under  b,  i,  and  c,  2,  but  the 
words  are  obsolete  or  rare. 


§  179  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

179.  Irregular  Plurals,  a.  Certain  masculine  nouns  in  o 
have  an  irregular  plural  in  a  with  change  of  gender.  These  are 

un  centinaio  about  a  hundred  ;  delle  centinaia 
un  migliaio  about  a  thousand ;  delle  migliaia 
il  miglio  mile ;  le  miglia 
il  paio  pair ;  le  paia 

V  uQvo  egg ;  le  UQva 

b.  Many  others  have  this  feminine  plural  in  a  in  addition 
to  a  regular  masculine  one  in  i.  For  most  of  the  following 
words  the  form  in  a  is  very  common ;  especially  for  those 
referring  to  parts  of  the  body  when  taken  collectively : 

V  an?llo  ring ;  gli  an? Hi,  le  an§lla 

il  bud^Uo  bowel ;  i  bud§lli,  le  bud^lla 

il  calcagno  heel ;  i  calcagni,  le  calcagna 

il  cast^Uo  castle ;  i  cast^Ui,  le  cast?  11a 

11  dito  finger ;  i  diti,  le  dita 

il  ginQCchio  knee ;  i  gingcchi,  le  gin^cchia 

il  grido  cry ;  i  gridi,  le  grida 

il  labbro  lip  ;  i  labbri,  le  labbra 

V  Qsso  bone ;  gli  Qssi,  le  gssa 

il  pugno  fist ;  i  pugni,  le  pugna 

lo  stride  shriek ;  gli  stridi,  le  strida 

*i.  In  the  following  nouns  the  plural  in  a  has  a  different  or 
more  restricted  meaning,  usually  more  literal: 
il  braccio,  i  bracci,  arm  le  braccia  arms  o/fke  body 

il  carro,  i  carri,  wagon  il  carro,  le  carra,  wagon-load 

il  cerv§llo,  i  cerv§lli,  brain  le  cerv?lla  brains  in  the  physical 

sense 
il  ciglio,  i  cigli,  visage  il  ciglio,  le  ciglia,  eyebrow 

il  coltfUo,  i  coltfUi,  knife  le  colt§lla  large  knives 

il  cgrno,  i  cgrni,  horn  le  cgrna  horns  of  an  animal 

il  cugio,  i  cupi,  leather  le  cugia  hides,  whole  skins 

il  filo,  i  fili,  thread  le  fila  collective 

il  fondamento,  i  fondamenti,  foun-      le  fondamenta   foundations    of  a 

dation  building 

178 


NUMBER 


§§  179-180 


il  frutto,  i  frutti,  fruit 

il  fuso,  i  fusi,  spindle 

11  g?sto,  1  g?stl,  gesture 

il  gomito,  i  gomiti,  elbow 

il  legno,  i  legni,  wood 

il  lenzuQlo,  i  lenzuQli,  sheet 

il  m^mbro,  i  m^mbri,  member 

il  muro,  i  muri,  wall 

il  riso,  i  risi,  rice 

il  sacco,  i  sacchi,  sack 

lo  staio,  gli  stai,  barrel 

il  suqIo,  i  suQli,  ground,  pavement 

V  urlo,  gli  urli,  cry 


le  frutta  fruit  served  on  the  table 

le  fusa  purring 

il  gfsto,  le  g?sta,  exploit 

le  gomita  eXhoyis,  part  of  the  body 

le  legna  wood  to  burfi 

le  lenzuQla  pair  of  sheets 

le  membra  parts  of  the  body,  col- 
lectively 

le  mura  all  the  walls  of  a  building 
or  city,  collectively 

11  riso,  le  risa,  laughter 

il  sacco,  le  sacca,  sackful 

lo  staio,  le  staia,  barrelful 

il  SU9I0,  le  sugla,  sole  of  a  shoe 

le  urla  human  cries 


\2.  The  following  have  the  feminine  plural  in  a  only  in  poetry : 


il  fato  fate 
il  peccato  sin 

c.  Plurals  wholly  irregular. 

V  ala  wing ;  le  ali  (le  ale) 
il  bue  ox ;  i  buQi 
il  dio  god ;  gli  cl§i 


il  porno  apple 

il  vestigio  trace,  footstep 


la  moglie  wife ;  le  mogli 
1'  u9mo  man  ;  gli  ugmini 


*180.  Plurals  of  Proper  Names,  a.  Given  names  form  their 
plurals  according  to  the  regular  rules,  except  that  masculines  in  a 
and  feminines  in  0  are  invariable. 


I  Carli 
I  Geremia 
L'  Elene 
Le  Clio 


The  Charleses 
The  Jeremiahs 
The  Helens 
The  Clios 


h.  Family  names  are  invariable,  unless  ending  in  0  and  not 
compound. 

II  GalilfO,  i  Galilfi  Galileo,  the  Galileos 

II  Buondelmonte,  i  Buondelmpnte        Buondelmonte,  the  Buondelmonte 

family 
n  della  Robbia,  i  della  Rpbbia  Delia  Robbia,  the  Delia  Robbias 


179 


§§  181-182  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

181.  Plural  of  Compound  Nouns.    Compound  nouns  form  their 
plural  in  one  of  four  ways : 

a.  The  second  member  only  is  variable. 

il  gentilugmo  gentleman ;  i  gentilugmini 
il  lavamano  washstand ;  i  lavamani 

h.  The  first  member  only  is  variable. 

il  capopQpolo  head  of  the  popular  party ;  i  capipgpolo 

c.  Both  members  are  variable. 

la  buonamano  tip,  fee ;  le  buonemani 

il  palcoscf  nice  proscenium  arch ;  i  palchiscf  nici 

d.  Both  members  are  invariable. 

il  lustrascarpe  bootblack ;  i  lustrascarpe 
il  pgrtavoce  megaphone ;  i  pgrtavpce 

*182.  Defective  Nouns,    a.  The  following  nouns  have  no 
singular : 

gli  annali  annals  le  fQrbici  scissors  gli  occhiali  spectacles 

le  busse  beating  i  maccheroni  macaroni      le  tf  nebre  darkness 

le  esfquie  obsequies      le  ngzze  wedding  etc. 

b.  The  following  have  no  plural : 

la  calvizie  baldness  la  fame  hunger  la  sete  thirst 

la  canizie  white  hairs  la  mane  morning  etc. 

la  CQpia  plenty  il  pepe  pepper 

Many  names  of  metals,  and  many  abstract  nouns. 

c.  Many  nouns,  though  not  strictly  defective,  are  used  almost 
exclusively  in  either  the  singular  or  the  plural.    Such  are 

la  prog|nie,  la  prgle,  la  stirpe,  i  ruderi  ruins 

race,  progeny  gli  spinaci  spinach 

i  pQsteri  posterity 

d.  Some  nouns  have  a  different  meaning  in  the  plural. 

la  mglla  spring,  catch  le  mglle  tongs 

il  rgstro  beak  i  rgstri  tribune,  rostrum 

il  yezzo  custom  i  vezzi  caresses 

i8o 


NUMBER  §§  183-185 

*183.  Collectives.  Collective  nouns  which  are  plural  in 
meaning  but  singular  in  form  take  a  verb  or  adjective  in 
the  singular. 

Sono  g?nte  che  non  viaggia  mai         They  are  people  who  never  travel 
Avevo  lasciato  tutta  la  mia  iQba  a      I  had  left  all  my  things  in  Paris 
Parigi 

*184.  Distributive    Singular.    The  singular   is   used  in 

Italian,    of    nouns    referring   to   parts   of   the   body   or  to 

clothing,  to  mean   'one  each,'  where  the  plural  would  be 

used  in  English. 

Alzarono  la  mano  d^stra  They  raised  their  right  hands 

Si  levarono  11  cappfUo  They  took  off  their  hats 

But 

Fece  tagliar  lore  le  mani  He  had  their  hands  cut  off  (both 

hands  of  each) 

a.  Yet  the  adjective  in  such  cases  agrees  in  the  plural. 
L'  idea  d'  uscirne  sani  e  salvi  non      The  idea  of  getting  out  safe  and 
passo  per  il  capo  a  nessuno  sound  never  entered  their  heads 

185.  The  Verb  piacere  *  please,'  *be  pleasing.* 

Principal  Parts  :  Piacere,  piacf ndo,  piaccio,  placer^,  piacqui,  piaciuto 
Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 

piaccio         piacciamo 
piaci  piacete 

piace  piacdono 


V  alb^rgo  m.  hotel 

V  antologia  f.  anthology 
1'  arancio  m.  orange-tree 
la  barca  boat 

il  Bf  Iga  Belgian 


piaccia 

piacciamo 

piaccia 

piacciate 

piaccia 

piacciano 

VOCABULARY 

la  bottega  shop 

il  chirurgo  surgeon 

la  cittH  city 

il  dialogo  dialogue 

il  dito  finger 

i8i 

§185 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


il  domfstico  domestic 

le  fQrbici  scissors 

il  frutto  fruit 

il  fungo  mushroom 

la  g?nte  folk,  people 

il  ginQCchio  knee 

Giulio  Cesare  Julius  Caesar 

la  guancia  cheek 

il  labbro  lip 

il  lapis  pencil 

il  lavamano  washstand 

il  legno  wood 

la  letteratura  literature 

il  luQgo  place,  location 

il  lustrascarpe  bootblack 

la  macchia  brambles,  thicket 

la  marcia  march 

la  metrgpoli  metropolis 

la  moglie  wife 

la  mQlla  spring,  mainspring 

le  mglle  tongs 

il  muro  wall 

il  nemico  enemy 

il  paio  pair 

il  parroco  parish  priest 

il  soprabito  overcoat 

la  spf  cie  kind,  sort 

lo  stivale  boot 

il  tacco  heel 

la  t§sta  head 


1'  UQvo  7n.  egg 

la  virtii  virtue,  power 

antico  ancient 

austriaco  Austrian 

bf  llico  pertaining  to  war,  of  warfare 

bellicoso  warlike 

britannico  Britannic 

caduco  weak 

carico  loaded 

cifco  blind 

classico  classic 

etrusco  Etruscan 

filosQfico  philosophical 

forzato  forced 

grfco  Greek 

laico  laic,  layman 

ricco  rich 

scarico  run  down,  free,  unloaded 

simpatico  nice,  congenial 

stanco  tired 

tipico  typical 

ubriaco  drunk 

accfndere,    accesi,    acceso,    light, 

kindle 
caricare  load,  wind  up 
lustrare  black,  polish 
rompere,  ruppi,  rotto  break 
tagliare  cut 


EXERCISE 
I 

I.  They  have  their  boots  blacked.  2.  The  Britannic  kings  were 
old.  3.  The  watches  are  run  down,  both  of  them.  4.  They  must 
be  wound  up.  5.  The  mainspring  is  broken.  6.  The  Greek  boot- 
blacks had  little  shops  in  all  the  great  metropolises.    7.  Bring  me 

1S2 


NUMBER  *  §186 

some  wood  for  the  fires.  8.  Let  us  take  a  walk  outside  the  walls. 
9.  The  Etruscan  cities  have  been  dead  for  centuries.  10.  She  has 
burnt  her  fingers.  11.  The  philosophical  Greeks  studied  political 
institutions.  12.  Julius  Caesar  tells  us  that  the  ancient  Belgians 
were  a  warlike  people.  13.  I  have  lost  two  pairs  of  scissors,  and 
all  my  pencils.  14.  Her  lips  and  cheeks  are  red.  15.  The  Austrian 
surgeons  are  very  rich.  16.  There  are  orange-trees  in  our  garden. 
17.  Oranges  are  the  fruit  of  the  orange-tree.  18.  The  soldiers 
are  not  drunk  but  tired ;  they  have  made  many  forced  marches. 
19.  Scissors  are  adapted  to  cutting.  20.  The  fires  were  kindled 
by  hostile  soldiers. 

II 

I.  The  ancient  Greeks  were  a  very  civilized  people.  2.  The 
boats  are  loaded.  3.  Monks  and  laics  are  all  enemies  of  the  army. 
4.  Please  give  me  the  tongs.  5.  The  doctors  finished  their  studies 
in  two  Austrian  cities.  6.  The  old  servants  are  not  rich ;  they  are 
blind.  7.  It  is  difficult  to  find  mushrooms.  8.  They  will  search 
for  them  in  the  woods  and  other  places.  9.  My  friends  have  some 
anthologies  of  Greek  and  Italian  literature,  i  o.  The  rich  politicians 
have  taken  off  their  overcoats.  1 1 .  In  the  hotels  of  French  cities 
one  is  very  comfortable.  12.  The  classic  literatures  were  very 
congenial  to  him.  13.  The  Etruscan  kings  had  domestic  wives. 
14.  He  had  their  heads  cut  off.  15.  The  virtues  of  the  ancient 
Greeks  were  many.  16.  He  brought  me  several  packages  of  fruit. 
17.  They  are  typical  Englishmen.  18.  By  [with]  dialogues  one 
learns  the  spoken  language.  19.  I  like  Mrs.  B.,  I  think  she  is  very 
nice.  20.  Send  me  six  eggs  and  three  kinds  of  fruit.  21.  My 
Greek  friends  will  arrive  to-morrow.  22.  They  seem  typical  parish 
priests.  23.  It  is  absurd  to  say  the  ancient  civilizations  were  not 
great.  24.  The  French  are  an  agreeable  people.  25.  They  are 
people  who  think  the  military  spirit  is  an  evil.  26.  Her  Austrian 
friends  (/)  are  very  nice.  27.  Surgeons  and  doctors  become  tired 
because  of  working  too  much.  28.  Guns  are  instruments  of  warfare. 

183 


§  186  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

LESSON  XXXI 
MODAL  AUXILIARIES.    THE  VERB  DOVERE 

186.  Modal  Auxiliaries,  a.  The  modal  auxiliaries  are  volere 
'wish,'  'will,'  potere  'be  able,'  dovere  'be  obliged,'  expressing 
what  must,  may,  should,  ought  to,  or  is  to  happen. 

h.  As  these  verbs  are  not  defective  like  their  English 

equivalents,  potere  and  dovere  may  as  auxiliaries  be  conjugated 

in  the  compound  tenses.    The  dependent  infinitive  remains 

in  the  present  tense,  whereas  in  English  it  must  be  thrown 

into  the  compound  past  tense. 

Avrebbe  dovuto  farlo  He  ought  to  have  done  it 

Non  avrebbe  potuto  venire  He  could  not  have  come 

Non  ha  potuto  andarvi  9ggi  He  has  not  been  able  to  go  there 

to-day 
I.   But  cf.  140,  c,  2. 

c.  These  verbs  follow  the  regular  rules  for  the  agreement 

of  the  past  participle  (cf.  194,  &). 

Ci  sarebbero  voluti  pQchi  soldi  It  would  have  taken  but  a  few  cents 

Tali  sono  9ggi,  quali  li  hai  potuti      Such  they  are  to-day  as  you  have 
vedere  been  able  to  see  (them) 

cf.  When  governing  an  infinitive,  these  verbs  may  take  the 

auxiliary  of  the  dependent  verb. 

Non  era  voluto  partire  He  had  not  wished  to  leave 

Non  hanno  potuto  lavorare  They  could  not  work 

Sarebbe  dovuto  venire  He  ought  to  have  come 

E  cominciato  a  ammalare  He  began  to  be  taken  ill 

"^i.  When  the  infinitive  is  passive,  the  modal  auxiliary  may  be 
thrown  into  the  passive  and  the  infinitive  remain  active. 

Non  pot^  esser  portato"!  __  ,,         ,  .    , 

^^      r  X        ^  He  could  not  be  earned 

Non  fu  potuto  portare  J 

184 


MODAL  AUXILIARIES  §§  186-187 

2.  Used  absolutely,  without  infinitive,  the  auxiliary  is  avere. 
Ha  voluto  ma  non  ha  potuto  He  wished  to  but  could  not 

187.  Special  Uses  of  the  Modal  Auxiliaries. 

a.  Special  uses  of  volere. 

1.  The  past  future  means  *  should  like.* 

Vorrei  visitare  la  cittk  I  should  like  to  see  the  sights  of 

the  city 

2.  *Will  you?'  unless  it  means  ^Do  you  wish?'  'Should  you 
like  ? '  is  often  best  translated  not  by  volere  but  by  the  present 
tense  of  the  verb. 

Mi  fa  il  piacere  di  indicarmi  la      Will  you  do  me  the  kindness  to 
strada  ?  show  me  the  way  ? 

3.  Cf.  133,  a,  I  and  2. 

b.  Special  uses  of  potere. 

1.  It  translates  'may'  or  'might'  in  independent  clauses  (the 
subjunctive  translates  them  in  dependent  ones). 

Si  pub  dire  che  tutti  i  Tedeschi  It  may  be  said  that  all  Germans 

sappiano  cantare  know  how  to  sing 

Potrebbe  darsi  It  might  be,  it  might  be  the  case 

Potevano  essere  le  due  It  might  have  been  two  o'clock 

2.  Non  poter  a  meno  di  means  'not  be  able  to  help.' 
Non  potei  a  meno  di  ridere  I  could  not  help  laughing 

3.  Poter  su  'have  power  over,'  'influence.' 

Sort!  da  natura  fortissimo  ingegno       He  had  by  nature  a  powerful  gen- 
e  animo  fi^ro.    I  casi  della  vita  ius  and  an  intrepid  spirit.    The 

molto  poterono  suU'uno  e  sul-  chances  of  life  had  great  influ- 

I'altro  ence  upon  both  (///.  had  much 

power  over  the  one  and  the  other) 

4.  Cf.  132,  a,  I. 

185 


§§  187-188  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

c.  Special  uses  of  dovere. 

1.  In  the  past  future  it  means  'ought';  in  the  other  tenses, 
'must,'  'have  to,'  'is  to,'  etc. 

Dovrebbe  pagarlo  subito  He  ought  to  pay  it  at  once 

D§ve  pagarlo  subito  He  must  pay  it  at  once 

Doveva  passare  1'  inv^rno  a  Nizza      He  was  to  pass  the  winter  at  Nice 

2.  For  the  'must'  or  'must  have'  of  probability  is  substituted 
the  future  or  future  perfect  of  the  dependent  verb  (cf.  141,  a,  i). 

3.  In  the  first  person  singular  present  indicative  it  translates 
'  Shall  I  ? '  in  the  sense  of  '  Do  you  wish  me  to  ? ' 

Dfvo  fare  i  bauli?  Shall  I  pack  the  trunks?  (Do  you 

wish  me,  is  it  time,  to  pack  the 
trunks?) 
188.  The  Verb  dovere. 

Principal  Parts  :  dovere,  dov?ndo,  dovr^,  d§vo  or  d^bbo,  dov§i,  dovuto 

Present  Indicative 
d?vo,  d^bbo,  (d^ggio)  dobbiamo 

d^vi,  d^i  dovete 

d§ve,  (d^bbe),  d^e  df vono,  dfbbono,  (dfggiono) 

Present  Subjunctive 
d^va,  d^bba,  (d^ggia)  dobbiamo 

d^va,  d^bba,  (d^ggia)  dobbiate 

d^va,  d§bba,  (d^ggia)  df  vano,  d^bbano,  (d^ggiano) 


Imperative  wanting. 


VOCABULARY 


il  chilo  kilogram  di  Ik  on  that  side 

11  conto  bill,  account  di  qua  on  this  side 

la  cprsa  run,  course  nemmeno  not  even 

11  fornalo  baker  per5  however 

la  moneta  coin,  piece  soltanto  only 

11  r^sto  change  stretto  tight,  narrow 

11  servizlno  litde  service  tra  within,  between 
dlfilato  straight  ahead 

186 


MODAL  AUXILIARIES  §  188 

costare  cost  rifare  make  again,  rebuild 

dubitare  doubt  ripftere  repeat 

mormorare  murmur  rivoltare  turn  back 

osservare  observe  sbagliare  make  a  mistake 

ricontare  count  over,  recount  voltarsi  turn 


EXERCISE 


—  Egisto,  va'  qui  dal  fornaio  a  comprare  mezzo  chilo  di  pane,  di 
quelle  da  trenta  centesimi  il  chilo.  Eccoti  una  lira,  sta'  attento,  fatti 
dare  il  resto.    E  mi  raccomando,  non  ti  fermare  per  la  strada,  eh  ?  — 

Queste  parole  erano  dette  a  Egisto  dalla  mamma.  II  bambino 
a  cui  non  pareva  vero  di  fare  i  servizini  a  sua  madre,  andb  difilato 
dal  fornaio ;  prese  il  pane  e  il  resto  della  lira,  e  via  verso  casa, 
senza  nemmeno  voltarsi  di  qua  o  di  la. 

Quando  fu  a  mezza  strada  ebbe  un'  idea :  quella  di  ricontare  i 
denari  del  resto ;  erano  sei  monete  da  dieci  centesimi  e  due  da  un 
soldo,  dunque  il  conto  non  tomava. 

—  Facciamolo  meglio  —  mormoro  tra  se  Egisto  —  se  un  chilo  di 
pane  costa  30  centesimi,  mezzo  chilo  costa  15.  II  fornaio  doveva 
darmi  85  centesimi  di  resto,  invece  me  ne  ha  dati  soltanto  70. — 

Egisto  non  stette  piii  a  pensare ;  rivolto,  e  tomb  di  corsa  dal 
fornaio,  e  gli  disse : 

—  Sa,  Lei  ha  sbagliato,  mi  ha  dato  tre  soldi  meno  di  resto ; 
guardi. 

—  Proprio,  bambino  ?  —  rispose  il  fornaio  —  Li  avrai  persi  per 
la  strada. 

—  No,  no,  —  ripetb  il  ragazzo  con  vivacitk;  —  li  tenevo  stretti 
stretti  in  questa  mano. 

II  fornaio  lo  guardo ;  e  gli  lesse  in  viso  un'  aria  tale  di  sincerity, 
che  non  dubito  piu.    Gli  ridiede  i  soldi,  ma  gli  osservb : 

—  Ho  sbagliato,  e  lo  riconosco  ;  perb  un'  altra  volta  sta'  attento, 
e  il  conto  rifallo  subito  qui  in  presenza  mia. 

187 


§  188  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

II 

I.  We  must  always  count  our  money.  2.  She  could  not  do  with- 
out bread.  3.  He  would  not  have  been  able  to  help  losing  his  way. 
4.  Egisto's  mother  told  him  not  to  stop  on  the  way.  5.  She  says 
to  him :  "  Here  are  two  lire  for  you.  Don't  forget  to  bring  me 
the  change."  6.  Go  to  the  baker's,  hurry,  and  be  careful.  7.  He 
ought  to  have  brought  it  to  her.  8.  Shall  I  light  the  fire  in  all  the 
rooms  ?  9.  The  boy  ought  to  have  brought  two  lire ;  it  might  be 
that  he  had  lost  them  on  the  way.  10.  His  mother  told  him  to 
hurry,  that  he  might  bring  her  the  bread  before  lunch.  11.  He 
was  not  able  to  start  before  eleven,  he  could  not  have  brought  it 
to  her  in  time.  12.  He  had  the  change  given  him.  13.  It  must 
be  ten  o'clock.  1 4.  He  had  in  his  pocket  three  ten-centesimo  pieces 
and  four  one-cent  pieces.  15.  I  do  not  doubt  that  it  is  to  happen. 
16.  He  had  to  return  at  once  to  the  baker's.  17.  Egisto  was  not 
to  stop  on  the  way.  18.  His  mother  feared,  if  he  did  not  hurry, 
that  he  might  lose  his  way.  19.  They  have  not  been  able  to  re- 
build the  walls  of  those  cities.    20.  It  would  have  taken  ten  years. 

21.  They  ought  to  have  told  us  so  before  beginning  the  work. 

22.  Bakers  make  bread.  23.  It  was  twelve  o'clock  before  he  re- 
turned. 24.  His  mother  thinks  he  has  lost  his  way.  25.  The  baker 
might  have  made  a  mistake.  26.  He  might  have  given  me  two 
cents  too  little.    27.  No,  he  has  given  me  three  cents  too  much. 

DIALOGO 

DAL  SARTO 

—  Vuol  venire  con  me  dal  sarto  ?  Mi  devo  provare  un  abito 
da  passeggio. 

—  Volentieri.  Dev'  essere  pronto  anche  il  soprabito  che  ho 
f  atto  pulire.    Com'  e  il  nuovo  abito  ? 

—  £  fatto  di  una  stoffa  di  lana  leggi^ra,  a  quadrettini  neri  e 
bigi.    £  un  color  pratico. 

188 


MODAL  AUXILIARIES  §  188 

—  Eccoci  arrivati.    II  sarto  sta  al  terzo  piano. 

—  Buon  giorno,  Signori.  Sono  venuti  per  la  prova  ?  Tutt'  e 
pronto.  Aspettino  un  momento  che  venga  il  giovane.  Ecco. 
Come  le  piace  ? 

—  Mi  pare  che  i  calzoni  siano  un  pochettino  troppo  lunghi.  E 
la  giubba  non  mi  sta  bene  sulle  spalle ;  e  troppo  attillata.  Che  ne 
pensa  ? 

—  Le  maniche  mi  sembra  che  siano  un  po'  troppo  corte  e  anche 
larghe. 

—  Come  crede,  Signore.  Lasci  fare  a  me.  Siamo  in  tempo  a 
cambiar  tutto  facilmente.    E  Lei,  Signore,  non  le  occorre  niente  ? 

—  Per  dir  la  veritk,  ho  proprio  bisogno  di  una  nuova  redingote. 
Siccome  non  mi  piace  la  roba  bell'  e  fatta,  devo  ordinarlo.  Puo 
farmelo  fra  tre  giorni }    Sto  per  far  un  viaggio. 

—  Altro  !  Glielo  faro  trovare  in  casa  giovedi  sera.  Ma  ci  vuole 
la  misura.    Prendiamola  subito. 

—  Vabbene.    Si  deve  pagare  anticipatamente  o  dopo  ? 

—  Ma  che  Le  pare !  Un  amico  del  Signor  B.  I  Mi  pagherk 
quando  Le  converrk.    Non  ha  bisogno  di  nient'  altro  ? 

—  No,  grazie.  Andiamo  dunque,  e  al  ritomo  devo  far  delle 
compre,  mi  occorre  tanta  roba  da  vestiario :  delle  scarpe  basse 
colorate,  un  cappello  sqdo,  e  un  altro  a  cencio,  da  viaggio.  II  cilin- 
dro  non  lo  prendo.    Poi  delle  ciarpette  di  seta,  chiare  e  scure. 

—  Come  le  piacciono  le  cravatte,  rigate  o  scozzesi  ? 

—  Ne  r  une  ne  1'  altre.    Le  porto  sempre  liscie. 

—  Ecco  una  bottega  che  ha  per  insegna:  Novita  da  uomini. 
Ehtriamoci. 


189 


§  189  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


LESSON   XXXII 

RELATIVE,  DEMONSTRATIVE,  AND  INTERROGATIVE 
PRONOUNS.    THE  VERB  UDIRE 

189.  The  Relative  Pronoun,    a.  For  the  forms,  see  114. 
&.  Special  uses  of  che : 

1.  It  is  often  used  elliptically,  without  preposition,  in  adverbial 
or  descriptive  clauses. 

Paese  che  vai  usanza  che  tr9vi  Whatever  country  you  go  to,  [fol- 

low] whatever  customs  you  find. 
(In  Rome,  do  as  the  Romans  do) 
£  venuto  nel  momento  che  stavo      He  came  at  the  moment  when  I 

mangiando  was  eating 

Una  d9nna  che  tutti  non  facevano      A  woman  of  whom  every  one  did 
altro  che  dire  che  1'  era  tanto  nothing  but  say  how  good  she 

bu9na  was 

2.  When  its  antecedent  is  a  phrase,  it  must  take  the  article. 

\vevamo  il  largo  e  profondo  f9sso  We  had  behind  us  the  wide,  deep 

alle  spalle  con  solo  uno  stretto  ditch,  with  only  a  narrow  bridge 

ponte  per  passo,  il  che  rendeva  for  crossing,  which  fact  made 

difficile  la  ritirata  retreat  difficult 

c.  Cui,  which  is  usually  used  after  prepositions,  may  be 
used  as  a  direct  object,  where  che  (which  may  be  either 
subject  or  object)  might  cause  ambiguity. 

E  caddi  come  1'  U9m  cui  sonno      And  I  fell  like  one  whom  sleep 
piglia  overtakes 

d,  II  quale,  which  is  either  adjective  or  pronoun,  is  used 
(because  declinable)  to  avoid  ambiguity,  and  it  seems  rather 
to  be  preferred  for  general  use,  especially  with  a  plural 
antecedent. 

190 


RELATIVES,  DEMONSTRATIVES      §§  189-190 


Quelli  non  frano  t^mpi  nei  quali 
un  presidente  di  Consiglio  po- 
tesse  agevolmente  venir  mutato 

Non  ci  maravigliamo  che  la  sc^na 
de'  Promessi  Spqsi  sia  stata 
posta  dair  autore  in  quel  di 
Lecco,  nei  lu9ghi  ove  lo  ripor- 
tavano  le  prime  e  le  piu  care 
sue  reminiscenze,  dai  quali  egli 
si  era  dovuto  staccare  per  s^mpre 
con  un  vivo  dolore 


Those  were  not  times  in  which  a 
President  of  Council  could  easily 
be  changed 

We  do  not  wonder  that  the  scene 
of  "The  Betrothed"  was  laid 
by  the  author  in  the  territory  of 
Lecco,  in  the  places  whither  his 
earliest  and  dearest  recollections 
bore  him,  from  which  he  had  to 
sever  himself  with  sharp  grief. 
(The  masculine  form  quali  can 
evidently  refer  only  to  luoghi) 


190.  The  Demonstrative  Pronoun,   a.  Questo,  quelle,  cotesto. 

1 .  For  the  forms  of  questo  and  quelle,  see  86  ;  coteste,  cedesto, 
is  inflected  like  questo. 

2.  Questo  refers  to  what  is  near  the  speaker;  cotesto,  cedesto, 
to  what  is  near  the  person  addressed ;  quelle,  to  what  is  more  or 
less  removed  from  both. 


Che  ne  p^nsa  di  questo  cavallo  ? 
Come  si  chiamano  quelle  colline  ? 
M'  e    piaciuto    parecchio   cedesto 
abito 


What  do  you  think  of  this  horse  ? 
What  is  the  name  of  those  hills  ? 
I  gready  liked  your  costume,  that 
costume  of  yours 


3.  Quelle  and  questo  mean  respectively  'the  former'  and  'the 
latter' ;  but  questo,  'the  latter,'  is  always  mentioned  first. 

II  cavallo  e  il  bQve  sono  tutt'  e  The  horse  and  the  ox  are  both 

due  utilissimi  all'  ugmo,  ma  si  extremely  useful   to   man,    but 

affeziona  meno  a  questo  che  a  we  have  more  affection  for  the 

quello  former  than  for  the  latter 

4.  To  mean  '  this  one '  and  '  that  one '  when  speaking  of  things, 
questo  and  quello  are  usually  reinforced  by  altro. 

Questo  libro  non  1'  h9  l^tto.    H9      This  book    I    have   not   read.     I 
l^tto  quell'  altro  have  read  that  one 

191 


§  190  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

5.  Special  uses  of  quelle : 

a.  Quel  che  =  'what'  when  it  can  be  resolved  into  'that  which.' 
Non  crede  quel  che  gli  dissi  He  did  not  believe  what  I  told  him 

b.  Before  di  or  a  relative,  it  means  '  the  one,'  '  that  one.' 

H9  prestato  loro  il  mio  cavallo  e  I  have  lent  them  my  own  horse 

quello  di  mio  frat^Uo  and  my  brother's 

Quelli  che  vede  non  sono  i  C9lli  The   ones   you    see    are   not  the 

Euganei  Euganean  Hills 

c.  Elliptically. 

In  quel  (territQrio)  di  Milano  In  the  country  round  about  Milan 

Tu  non  s^i  piu  quello  (medesimo,  You  are  no  longer  the  same  person 

or  di  prima) 

In  quella  (ora)  At  that  moment 

h,  Questi,  quegli,  (quel,  que').  These  forms  are  invari- 
able masculine  singulars,  applicable  to  persons  only,  and 
used  only  as  subject.  Questi  = 'this  one,'  'this  man';  and 
quegli  =  'that  one,'  'that  man.'    Restricted  to  literary  usage. 

Questi,  r  orme  di  cui  pestar  mi  vedi      This  man  in  whose  footsteps  you 

see  me  tread 

c.  Cestui,  colui.  These  have  the  same  meaning  as  questi 
and  quegli,  but  are  completely  inflected  and  are  used  in 
all  cases. 

1.  Forms: 

Singular         Plural  Singular        Plural 

costui  costoro  colui  colore 

costfi  col^i 

2.  'He  who'  is  expressed  by  colui  che,  or  preferably  by  chi. 

Colui  che  guadagna  ha  il  diritto  di      He  who   earns  has  the   right  to 

spfndere  spend 

II  mondo  h  di  chi  se  lo  piglia  The  world  belongs   to  him  who 

takes  it 
Chi  dice  soldato,  dice  obbedi^nza        Who  says  soldier,  says  obedience 

192 


DEMONSTRATIVES,  INTERROGATIVES     §§  190-191 

*a.  In  this  use,  chi  is  sometimes  equivalent  to  'if  one.' 
Chi  h  entrato  nella  vita  politica,      If  one  enters  political  life,  it  is  not 

non  convi^ne  che  c^rchi  di  arric-  fitting    that  he  seek  to  enrich 

chirsi  himself 

Note.  These  demonstratives  referring  to  persons  only  all  end  in 
the  singular  in  i. 

d,  Cib.  Ci$  is  a  neuter  of  rather  general  meaning,  refer- 
ring not  to  a  person  or  a  thing,  but  to  a  whole  idea,  mean- 
ing 'this'  or  'that.' 

Gl'  Italiani  sognavano  libertk,  ma      The  Italians  dreamed  of  liberty, 
cIq  dispiaceva  agli  Austriaci  but  that  displeased  the  Austrians 

e.  Desso,  stesso,  medesimo.  These  words  all  mean  'same,' 
'selfsame,'  'that  very,'  etc.  Desso  is  used  only  substantively, 
as  a  predicate  complement,  and  for  the  most  part  of  persons. 
Stesso  and  medesimo  are  either  substantives  or  adjectives,  and 
refer  to  either  persons  or  things. 

Questi  h  desso,  e  non  fav^lla  This  is  he,  and  he  speaks  not 

II  re  stesso  1'  ha  fatto  The  king  did  it  himself 

La  fortuna  medesima  e  il  n9Stro  Fortune  itself  is  our  foe 
nemico 

191.  The  Interrogative  Pronoun.  The  interrogatives  are — 
chi?  who.?  whom.? 

che?  chec9sa?  what.?  what  thing.?  {pronoun),  what  kind  of.?  {adjective) 
quale  ?  {inflected)  what .?  which .?  {adjective  or  pronoun) 
di  chi  ?  whose .? 

quanto  ?  {inflected)  how  much .?  how  many .? 
come  ?  what  did  you  say  .? 

Chi  lo  sa  ?  Who  knows  ? 

Che  CQsa  ha  detto ?  What  has  he  said? 

Che  libro  l?gge  ?  What   kind   of   a   book   are   you 

reading  ? 
Quale  desidera  ?  Which  (one)  do  you  wish  ? 

Di  chi  sono  questi  fiori  ?  Whose  are  these  flowers  ? 

Quanti  ne  vu9le ?  How  many  do  you  wish? 

193 


§§  191-192  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

a.  'What  a/  'what,'  in  exclamations,  is  expressed  by  che  with- 
out article  (cf.  162,/). 

Che  panorama  stup^ndo  !  What  a  magnificent  view ! 

*&.  The  interrogatives  may  be  reinforced  by  mai. 

Chi  mai  1'  avrebbe  creduto  ?  Who  would  ever  have  believed  it  ? 

Come  mai  1'  ha  fatto?  How  did  you  ever  do  it? 

*c.  Cosa?  for  che  cosa?  is  frequent  in  familiar  speech,  but  is 
not  elegant. 
Cqs'  hai  fatto  1  What  have  you  been  doing  } 

192.  The  Verb  udire  'hear.' 

Principal  Parts  :  Udire,  udf ndo,  gdo,  udir^  (udr5),  udii,  udito 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 

9do         udiamo  gda  udiamo 

9di          udite  9da  udiate 

9de         9dono  9da  9dano 

VOCABULARY 

11  carcere  prison  V  ujfficiale  m.  officer 

la  CQsta  coast  la  vela  sail ;  far  vela  set  sail 

il  cugre  heart  la  vergogna  shame 

11  dQsso  back  attfndere,  attest,  atteso  await 

P  erge  in.  hero  avviarsi  take  one's  way,  start 

la  fucilazione  execution,  shooting       cavare  take  out 

P  inganno  jn.  deceit  corrispondere  {like  rispondere)  cor- 

P  isola  /  island  respond 

la  marina  navy  effettuare  effect 

il  pgrto  port  fuggire  flee 

lo  sbarco  disembarkation  sbarcare  land 

la  scintilla  spark  scugtere,  scgssi,  scqsso  shake 

la  strage  butchery 

,-  •           •  t,        ^.  .    <.„^„          assai  much,  very,  rather 

il  supplizio  punishment,  torture  '       ■" 

il  tradimento  treachery,  betrayal         veneziano  Venetian 


RELATIVES,  DEMONSTRATIVES  §  192 

EXERCISE 

I 

I  FRATELLI  BANDIERA 

I  fratelli  Attilio  ed  Emilio  Bandiera,  figli  di  nobile  famiglia 
veneziana,  erano  ufficiali  nella  marina  austriaca.  Cuori  generosi 
come  quelli,  al  servizio  dello  straniero !  —  Vada  la  nostra  vita,  ma 
scuotiamoci  da  dosso  tanta  vergogna  —  devono  aver  pensato  quei 
due  giovani  eroi.  E  fuggirono.  Fuggirono  in  Grecia,  nell'  isola  di 
Corfu.  Di  la,  corrispondendo  coi  loro  amid  d'  Italia,  pensarono  di 
effettuare  uno  sbarco  sulle  coste  della  Calabria,  per  accendere  la 
prima  scintilla  di  guerra  in  quel  di  Napoli.  Fqcero  vela  con  pochi 
compagni,  e  sbarcarono  al  porto  di  Cotrone. 

Ma  r  inganno  e  il  tradimento  li  aspettavano  su  quella  terra ; 
furono  presto  arrestati  e  immediatamente  condannati  alia  fucila- 
zione.  La  strage  fu  consumata  nella  cittk  di  Cosenza.  Attesero 
calmi  r  ora  fatale,  sentendo  in  cuore  la  gioia  di  dare  il  loro  sangue 
alia  patria.  E  quando  i  soldati  del  Borbone  vennero  a  cavarli  dal 
carcere  per  condurli  a  morte,  essi  e  sette  loro  compagni  si  avviarono 
al  luogo  del  supplizio,  cantando  serenamente :  Chi  per  la  patria 
tnuor^  vissuto  e  assai. 

II 

I.  The  Bandiera  brothers,  who  were  officers  in  the  Austrian 
navy,  wished  to  shake  from  their  backs  the  shame  of  being  in  the 
service  of  the  foreigner.  2.  What  awaited  them  in  the  territory  of 
Venice  ?  3.  Deceit  and  treachery  awaited  those  brothers  in  the  land 
of  the  Bourbon.  4.  That  is  not  what  they  hoped.  5.  Who  knows 
how  many  men  have  given  their  lives  for  their  country?  6.  He 
who  reads  the  history  of  Italy  must  admire  her  heroes.  7.  What 
a  beautiful  history !  What  do  you  think  of  it  ?  8.  What  I  have 
read  of  it  pleases  me  very  much.  9.  The  heroes  were  taken  out 
of  prison  to  be  led  to  the  place  of  punishment.  10.  Which  of  the 
Bandiera  brothers  was  the  older?    11,  We  sang  as  we  took  our 

195 


§§  192-193  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

way  to  the  place  of  punishment.  12.  What  did  you  sing?  13.  We 
sang,  "  He  who  dies  for  his  country,  has  lived  enough."  14.  They 
were  arrested,  and  what  is  worse,  sentenced  to  be  shot.  15.  The 
officers  had  them  punished,  which  was  not  to  be  expected. 
16.  They  do  not  believe  that  what  you  tell  them  is  true.  17.  We 
have  sold  our  house,  and  that  of  our  brother.  18.  I  have  taken  my 
new  dresses  out  of  the  box.  19.  I  do  not  like  this  one;  I  think 
the  other  one  is  more  beautiful. 


LESSON  XXXIII 

PARTICIPLES.    THE  VERB  PORRE 

193.  The  Present  Participle.  The  present  participle  has 
two  forms :  a  form  in  -ante,  -fnte,  which  Italian  grammar 
recognizes  as  the  participle,  and  one  in  -ando,  -fndo,  which 
Italian  grammar  calls  the  *' gerundive." 

a.  The  form  in  -ante,  -ente,  has  the  character  of  adjective, 
substantive,  or  verb,  and  is  inflected  like  an  adjective  in  e. 

1.  As  adjective  it  is  in  frequent  use. 

II  grillo  parlante  The  talking  cricket 

I  principi  regnanti  The  reigning  princes 

2.  Any  present  participle  with  an  article  before  it  becomes  a 
substantive,  as  V  amante  'the  lover.' 

3.  As  verb  it  is  perhaps  less  common  than  the  form  in  -ando, 
-endo,  and  rarely  takes  an  object.  It  is  used,  with  object,  of  the  verbs 
avere,  contenere,  fare,  formate,  indicare,  rappresentare,  tenere,  etc. 

I  tr^ni  aventi  wagoni-l?tto  Trains  having  sleeping-cars 

h.  The  form  in  -ando,  -endo,  has  the  character  of  verb  or 
adverb,  and  is  invariable. 

196 


PARTICIPLES  §  193 

I .  As  a  verb  it  may  replace  a  clause  of  time,  cause,  concession, 

condition,  or  simple  explanation,  and  may  always  govern  an  object. 

Andando  insi^me  al  teatro,  chiac-  While  they  were  going  to  the  thea- 
chieravano  di  molte  cgse  ter  they  chatted  of  many  things 

Trovandomi  quell'  autunno  a  casa,  As  I  happened  to  be  at  home  that 
e  ricordandomi  di  quel  v^cchio,  fall,  and  to  remember  the  old 

andava  spesso  a  visitarlo  man,  I  went  often  to  visit  him 

Sentf  ndosi  incapace  di  mu9versi,  Knowing  that  he  was  incapable  of 
disse  nonostante  queste  par9le  a  movement,  he  yet  spoke  these 

audaci  audacious  words 

Rimproverandolo,  potrk  forse  per-  If  you  reprove  him,  you  will  per- 
suaderlo  a  mutar  vita  haps  be  able  to  persuade  him  to 

change  his  way  of  life 

c.  To  translate  the  English  present  participle, 

1.  With  the  verb  'to  be,'  cf.  102. 

2.  When  standing  alone  or  with  object  after  a  noun,  it  is  often 
best  to  use  a  simple  relative  clause. 

There  is  a  lady  waiting  C  h  una  signora  che  aspftta 

And  like  a  wasp  withdrawing  its      E  come  v^spa  che  ritragge  V  ago 
sting 

3.  After  a  verb  of  sensation  use  the  infinitive. 

They  saw  us  coming  Ci  videro  venire 

I  heard  her  singing  La  sentii  cantare 

d.  To  translate  the  English  gerund, 

1 .  In  general,  use  the  infinitive. 

Smoking  is  forbidden  £  vietato  di  fumare 

Working  is  praying  Lavorare  e  pregare 

2.  After  a  preposition,  use  the  form  in  -ando,  -endo,  without 
preposition,  unless  the  latter  be  essential  to  the  sense ;  when  the 
preposition  is  essential  to  the  sense,  retain  it,  and  translate  the 
participle  by  the  infinitive. 

On  recognizing  him,  I  hastened  to  Riconoscfndolo,  mi  spicciai  per 
overtake  him  raggiungerlo 

197 


§§  193-194  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

One  cannot  make  progress  without      Non  si  puy  far   progress!   sf nza 

studying  studiare 

We  talk  of  waging  war  Parliamo  di  mugver  gu?rra 

194.  The  Past  Participle,  a.  The  past  participle  may  be 
used  as  adjective,  noun,  or  verb. 

Tutte  le  C9se  narrate  si  frano  All  the  things  narrated  had  suc- 
succedute     con     una     rapidita  ceeded  each  other  with  a  mar- 

maravigliosa  velous  rapidity 

II  condannato  era  un  p9vero  Vene-  The  condemned  man  was  a  poor 
ziano  Venetian 

Finita  la  messa  Mass  being  over 

b.  Agreement.  As  noun,  as  adjective,  or  when  used  with- 
out auxihary,  the  past  participle  is  always  inflected.  With 
auxiliary,  it  agrees  — 

1.  After  essere,  in  intransitive  and  passive  verbs  (cf.  99). 

2.  After  avere  (cf.  122)  optionally  with  the  object. 
a.  But  it  is  usually  invariable  — 

(i)  When  the  object  is  part  of  a  set  phrase. 

Ci  ha  dato  fede  He  has  pledged  his  faith  to  it 

H9  avuto  fame  I  was  hungry 

(2)  When  the  participle  has  a  dependent  infinitive  governing  a 
noun  object. 

Non    ho  voluto    comprare    quelle       I  did  not  wish  to  buy  those  shoes 
scarpe 

(3)  When  fatto  is  substituted  for  the  repetition  of  some  other 
participle. 

C^rto  negli  ultimi  venti  anni  si  son  Certainly  in  the  last  twenty  years 
salite  piu  montagne,   che   non  more     mountains     have     been 

s'  era  fatto  in  venti  sfcoli  scaled   than    in    the   preceding 

twenty  centuries 

198 


PARTICIPLES  §§  194-196 

b.  Whereas  it  must  usually  agree  — 

(i)  When  the  direct  obiect  is  a  personal  pronoun  or  ne. 
Dove  11  hanno  veduti  ?  Where  did  they  see  them  ? 

Mi  hai  portato  (or  portati)  dei  fiori  ?      Have  you  brought  me  any  flowers? 

Te  ne  ho  portati  molti !  I    have   brought    you    a    great 

many ! 

(2)  This  is  true  even  when  the  pronoun  object  belongs  with  a 
dependent  infinitive. 
Li  avreste  potuti  vedere  You  might  have  seen  them 

3.  With  reflexives  (cf.  104,  c,  i). 

a.  With  impersonal  forms,  the  participle  agrees  if  the  verb  is 
normally  conjugated  with  essere ;  if  it  is  regularly  conjugated  with 
avere,  there  is  no  agreement. 

Si  h  vissuti  tr9ppo  We  have  lived  too  long 

Si  fe  comprato  mplti  cavalli  per  la      Many  horses  were  bought  for  the 
cavalleria  cavalry 

b.  When  the  pronoun  is  a  dative  "of  reference  or  concern" 
(cf.  105,  &,  3)  it  is  not  a  true  reflexive. 

c.  Inversion.  In  temporal  clauses  the  past  participle  and 
its  auxiliary  are  often  inverted,  che  then  taking  the  place  of 
quando,  appena,  etc. 

Liberate  che  f  u  When  he  was  liberated,  as  soon  as 

he  was  liberated 

Vinto  che  V  abbia,  lo  divora  When  [as  soon  as]  he  has  con- 

quered it,  he  devours  it 

195.  Absolute  Constructions.  These  are  extremely  com- 
mon in  Italian,  and  may  take  the  place  of  almost  any  kind 
of  clause. 

Detto  fatto  No  sooner  said  than  done 

Giunto  tardi  a  casa,  ed  acceso  il      Arriving  home  late,  and  having 
lume,  si  acc9rse  subito  del  furto  lighted   the  lamp,  he   at   once 

noticed  the  theft 

199 


§§  195-196 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Dopo  occupato  1'  altipiano,  gl'  Ita-      After  occupying  the  elevation,  the 
liani  cominciarono  a  tirare  Italians  began  to  fire 

fl.   Cf.  136,  h;  145,  d. 

196.  The  yerh  porre  'place.' 

Principal  Parts  :  Pprre,  pon?ndo,  pongo,  porrg,  posi,  posto 
Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 

pongo       poniamo,  ponghiamo  ponga       poniamo,  ponghiamo 

poni  ponete  ponga       poniate 

pone         pongono  ponga       pongano 


VOCABULARY 


il  bavero  coat-collar 

il  benefizio  benefit 

il  cannone  cannon 

il  cittadino  citizen 

la  giacchetta  jacket 

la  giovanetta  young  girl 

il  giovanetto  boy,  young  man 

il  gruppo  group 

V  incasso  m.  receipts 

il  metaUo  metal 

il  nastrino  little  ribbon 

il  p^tto  breast 

lo  scudo  shield 

la  sQmma  sum 


il  Turco  Turk 
la  vendita  sale 

acquistare  acquire 

andarsene  go  away 

appuntare  pin 

dare  il  buon  anno  wish  a  Happy 

New  Year 
formicolare  swarm 
offrire,  off^rsi,  off§rto  offer 
puntare  aim 
sparare  fire,  shoot  _^ 

ciascuno  each,  every  one 


EXERCISE 


IL  PICCOLO  SCUDO 

I.  Era  il  primo  giorno  dell'  anno  19 12,  V  anno  della  nostra 
guerra  contro  i  Turchi.  2.  La  gente  formicolava  per  le  strade  e  si 
salutava  dandosi  il  buon  anno.  3.  Qua  e  Ik  le  persone,  che  passa- 
vano  per  le  vie,  erano  fermate  da  gruppi  di  giovanetti  e  giovanette 


PARTICIPLES  §  196 

che  offrivano,  a  chi  voleva  comprarli,  dei  piccoli  scudi  di  metallo 
bianco,  portanti  un  nastrino  coi  tre  colori  della  bandiera  nazionale. 
4.  Su  ogni  scudo  si  vedeva  un  soldato  che  sparava,  e  un  altro  che 
puntava  il  cannone.  5.  Gli  scudetti  erano  venduti  da  quei  giovani 
a  benefizio  dei  nostri  soldati  che  combattevano  in  Libia.  6.  Costa- 
vano  non  meno  di  due  soldi,  ma  ciascuno,  prendendoli,  poteva 
offrire  quello  che  voleva.  7.  E  tutti  i  cittadini  li  acquistavano  volen- 
tieri,  con  entusiasmo,  e  se  li  mettevano  al  bavero  della  giacchetta. 

8.  Li  compravano  anche  le  donne,  e  se  li  appuntavano  sul  vestito. 

9.  Quasi  tutti  ebbero  ben  presto  sul  petto  questi  piccoli  scudi  col 
nastrino  tricolore.  10.  L'incasso  della  loro  vendita  dette  una  somma 
considerevole. 

II 

I,  The  soldiers,  while  fighting  in  Libya,  were  led  by  the  officers. 
2.  The  combatants  gave  up  firing,  the  cannon  having  been  taken 
by  the  enemy.  3.  That  lady  will  pin  the  little  shield  upon  her 
dress.  4.  People  flocking  through  the  street  and  saluting  each 
other  wished  each  other  a  Happy  New  Year.  5.  Having  put  the 
little  ribbon  on  the  collar  of  his  coat,  that  citizen  gave  no  less  than 
three  lire.  6.  On  New  Year's  Day  of  the  year  19 12,  shields  were 
sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  Italian  soldiers.  7.  As  we  entered 
the  room,  we  found  there  a  young  girl  singing.  8.  We  stayed, 
because  we  liked  to  hear  her  singing.  9.  Having  told  us  not  to 
wait  for  them,  they  went  away  without  speaking  to  him.  10.  The 
shields  bought,  all  soon  had  them  at  their  breasts.  11.  Little 
shields,  on  which  was  seen  a  soldier  shooting,  were  offered  by 
groups  of  young  girls.    12.  Do  not  go  home  before  speaking  to  her. 

13.  Whoever  wished  to  buy  one,  would  pay  not  less  than  two  cents. 

14.  By  giving  her  two  lire  he  won  the  approval  of  [made  himself 
praised  by]  all  the  young  people.  15.  Have  you  bought  a  shield 
as  you  passed  along  the  streets?  16.  My  brothers  being  both  in 
Libya,  I  have  bought  two  of  them.  17.  Having  bought  them,  I 
shall  give  you  one. 

201 


§  196  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

DIALOGO 

DAL  CALZOLAIO 

—  Ho  da  farmi  fare  un  paio  di  scarpe.  Andiamo  in  quella  bot- 
tega  di  calzolaio  ch'  e  sull'  angolo  di  Via  Parione.  Ho  sentito  che 
quello  lavora  molto  bene. 

—  Lo  conosco  di  nome.  Fa  sempre  le  scarpe  di  lusso  a  una 
signora  di  mia  conoscenza. 

—  Ecco  il  suo  negozio.  £  davvero  troppo  grande  ed  elegante 
da  chiamarlo  bottega. 

—  Buon  giomo,  Signore.    Che  desiderano  ? 

—  lo  vorrei  ordinare  un  paio  di  scarpe  bianche,  alte. 

—  Alte  non  si  fanno  le  bianche,  Signora.  Ne  ho  viste  delle  si- 
gnore americane  che  le  portano,  ma  qui  in  Italia  non  si  trovano 
mai.  Pero,  potrei  fargliene  un  paio  su  misura.  Ma  bisognerebbe 
prima  fare  delle  forme.  Prendiamo  la  misura  del  suo  piede.  Ecco 
presa  la  misura.    Come  le  vuole  ?   Di  p^lle  ? 

—  No,  di  tela,  di  buona  qualita.  Le  portero  domani  una  mia 
Scarpa  per  confrontarla  colla  f9rma.  Ho  sempre  paura  quando 
vado  per  la  prima  volta  da  un  calzolaio,  che  mi  faccia  le  scarpe 
troppo  larghe  e  troppo  corte. 

—  Non  dubiti,  Signora.  Colle  forme  ben  f atte  non  si  pub  sbagliare. 

—  Mi  dia  due  paia  di  stringhe,  e  faccia  attenzione  che  non  scric- 
chiolino  le  scarpe.  Questo  paio  che  ho  fu  bagnato  dalla  pioggia  la 
settimana  scorsa,  e  d'  allora  scricchiolano  ch'  e  un  orrore. 

—  Ci  baderb,  Signora.    E  i  tacchi  come  li  vuole  ?    Di  tela  ? 

—  No,  di  cuoio,  e  piuttosto  bassi.    I  tacchi  alti  sciupano  i  piedi. 

—  Baderb  a  tutto,  Signora.  Sono  sicuro  che  rimarrk  soddisfatta. 
Quanto  al  prezzo,  ci  accomoderemo  quando  saprb  quanto  tempo  ci 
vuole  per  far  le  forme.  Farb  un  prezzo  discreto  da  venti  a  venti- 
cinque  lire. 

—  Vabbene.    Buon  giorno. 

—  Arrivedella,  Signora. 

202 


GENDER  §§  197-198 

LESSON  XXXIV 
GENDER  OF  NOUNS.    THE  VERB  USCIRE 

197.  Gender  Determined  by  Form.    a.  Cf.  80,  h, 

b.  Feminine  are  the  nouns  ending  in  ie,  si  {except  il 
brindisi  'toast'),  and  accented  ice;  and  abstract  nouns  when 
accented  on  the  last  syllable :  la  specie  'kind,'  la  ra<Uce  'root,' 
la  liberty  'liberty.' 

198.  Gender  Determined  by  Meaning,  a.  Cf.  80,  a.  Mas- 
culine are  also  — 

1 .  Names  of  lakes ;  of  mountains,  except  le  Alpi,  le  Ande, 
la  Sierra  Nevada,  and  a  few  others ;  of  rivers,  unless  ending 
in  a  (cf.  6,  2) ;  of  empires,  kingdoms,  and  provinces,  unless 
ending  in  a  or  de  {except  il  Bengala). 

2.  Names  of  trees,  except  la  qufrcia  'oak,'  la  palma  'palm,* 
and  la  vite  'grapevine,'  which  are  feminine,  and  r  §  Ice  'ilex,* 
of  common  gender. 

3.  Nam.es  of  metals,  except  la  latta  'tin.' 

4.  Names  of  months,  and  of  all  days  except  domfnica. 

5.  Other  parts  of  speech  used  substantively. 

6.  Cf .  80,  a.    Feminine  are  also  — 

I.  Names  of  fruits,  which  usually  correspond  to  the 
names  of  the  trees.  If  the  latter  end  in  0,  0  changes  to  a ; 
if  in  e,  there  is  merely  a  change  of  gender. 

II  p^sco,  la  p^sca  The  peach-tree,  the  peach 

II  noce,  la  noce  The  walnut-tree,  the  walnut 

203 


198-200 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Exceptions.    The  following  names,  of  masculine  gender,  are 
identical  for  tree  and  fruit : 

V  ananasso  pineapple  il  limone  lemon 

il  cedro  lime  il  pistacchio  pistachio  nut 

il  dattero  date  il  ppmo  apple 

il  fico  fig  il  ribes  currant 

2.  Names  of  cities,  except  il  Cairo  'Cairo';  and  of  rivers  end- 
ing in  a,  except  il  Niagara,  il  Vglga,  and  a  few  others. 
la  Lgira  the  Loire  il  Danubio  the  Danube 


199.  Nouns  having  Two  Genders  with  Different  Meanings : 

la  carcere,  oftener  le  carceri,  prison 
la  dramma  dram 
la  fine  (il  fine)  end 


il  carcere  imprisonment,  prison 

il  dramma  drama 

il  fine  purpose 

il  pianeta  planet 

il  prigione  prisoner 

il  t?ma  theme 


la  pianeta  priest's  cope 
la  prigione  prison 
la  tema  fear 


a.  Some  nouns,  such  as  fonte '  spring,'  folgore '  thunderbolt,'  trave 
'beam,'  etc.,  are  of  common  gender  without  change  of  meaning. 

200.  Gender  of  Names  of  Animals,    a.  Of  such  as  change 

their  form  with  change  of  gender,  those  ending  in  o  change 

0  to  a,  and  those  in  e  change  e  to  essa,  rarely  a  : 

cavallo,  cavalla,  horse 
cignale,  cignala,  wild  boar 
Colombo,  colomba,  dove 


elefante,  elefantessa,  elephant 

1.  Irregular  are  — 
cane,  cagna,  dog 
gallo,  gallina,  cock,  hen 

2.  Defective  are  — 
tgro,  vacca 

montone,  ariete  ;  pf  cora 
v?rre  ;  trgia  or  scrgfa 


gatto,  gatta,  cat 

leone,  leonessa,  lion 

lupo,  lupa,  wolf 

pavone,  pavpna,  pavonessa,  peacock 


gambero,  gamberessa,  crawfish 
and  others 


bull,  cow 

ram;  (sheep),  ewe 

boar;  sow 


204 


GENDER 


§§  200-202 


b.  Some  of  those  ending  in  e  or  u  are  of  common  gender,  and 
distinguished  only  by  the  article. 

il  sfipe,  la  s^rpe,  serpent  il  gru,  la  gru,  crane 

c.  Others  have  but  one  gender  for  both  sexes. 
I.  Masculine  are  — 


il  coniglio  rabbit 
il  delfino  dolphin 
il  luccio  pike 
lo  scarafaggio  beetle 

Feminine  are  — 
P  aquila  eagle 
la  balena  whale 
la  formica  ant 
la  lucf  rtola  lizard 
la  mosca  fly 
la  pant?ra  panther 


il  serp?nte  serpent 
il  sorcio  mouse 
il  tgpo  rat 
il  tprdo  thrush 


la  rondine  swallow 
la  scimmia  monkey 
la  tortora  turtle-dove 
la  vipera  viper 
la  vplpe  fox 


201.  Names  denoting  Sex  in  Human  Beings 


maschio,  femmina,  male,  female 
padre,  madre,  father,  mother 
figlio,  figlia,  son,  daughter 
fratfUo,  sor^lla,  brother,  sister 
ngnno,  ngnna,  grandfather,  grand- 
mother 
il    nipote,    la    nipote,     grandson, 
granddaughter;  nephew,  niece 
zio,  zia,  uncle,  aunt 
cugino,  cugina,  cousin 
suQcero,     suQcera,     father-in-law, 
mother-in-law 


g§nero,  nugra,  son-in-law,  daughter- 
in-law 

cognato.  cognata,  brother-in-law, 
sister-in-law 

fratellastro,  half-brother 

patrigno,  matrlgna,  stepfather, 
stepmother 

figliastro,  figliastra,  stepson,  step- 
daughter 

compare,  madrina,  godfather,  god- 
mother 

figliQCcio,  figligccia,  godson,  god- 
daughter 


202.  Masculines  in  a.    The  following  nouns,  though  end- 
ing in  a,  are  of  masculine  gender : 

II  l)9ia  'executioner,'  il  duca  *duke,'  il  monarca  *  monarch,'  il 
po^ta  'poet,'  qualc98a  'something';  nouns  in  -ista  denoting  the 

205 


§§202-203  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

professions,  sects,  etc.,  when  referring  to  men;  il  colfra  'cholera,' 
lo  scik  '  shah,'  il  sofa  '  sofa,'  and  some  other  words  of  foreign 
origin  ;  1*  enigma  '  enigma,'  11  problf ma  '  problem,'  and  other  words 
from  the  Greek  in  -ma ;  and  many  geographical  names. 

203.  Feminine  Forms  of  Words  Expressing  Professions, 
Rank,  or  Character. 

abate  abbot,  abbadessa  or  badessa  abbess 

barone  baron,  baronessa  baroness 

cameri^re  waiter,  cameri^ra  waitress,  chambermaid,  stewardess 

canQnico  canon,  canonichessa  canoness 

cantore  singer,  cantante  (cantatrice) 

capitano  captain,  capitanessa  (dur/.),  captain's  wife 

conte  count,  contessa  countess 

diavolo  devil,  diavolessa 

dio  god,  d?a,  diva,  goddess 

dottore  doctor,  learned  person,  dottpra,  dottoressa  {o/Un  i>ur/.) 

duca  duke,  duchessa  duchess 

eiQe  hero,  eroina  heroine 

fante  page,  fantesca  maidservant 

fattpre  steward,  (fattora),  fattoressa,  steward's  wife 

filgsofo  philosopher,  filgsofa  {burl.),  filosofessa 

foresti^re  foreigner,  foresti^ra 

governatore  governor,  governatrice ;  governatora  governor's  wife 

imperatore  emperor,  imperatrice  empress 

istitutore  teacher,  tutor,  istitutrice  teacher,  governess 

marchese  marquis,  marchesa  marchioness 

mfdico  physician,  medichessa 

padrone  master,  padrona  mistress 

papa  pope,  papessa 

patriarca  patriarch,  patriarchessa 

pittore  painter,  pittrice 

principe  prince,  principessa  princess 

priore  prior,  priora,  prioressa,  prioress 

professQre  professor  professoressa 

proffta  prophet,  profetessa  prophetess 

re  king,  regina  queen 

2o6 


GENDER 


203-204 


sacerdQte  priest,  sacerdotessa  priestess 

scolare  scholar,  pupil,  scolara 

sfrvo  servant,  s§rva 

stiratore  launderer,  stiratora,  stiratrice  laundress 

traditore  traitor,  traditora,  traditrice  traitress 

uditore  auditor,  uditrice 

204.  The  Verb  uscire  'go  out.* 

Principal  Parts  :  uscire,  usc?ndo,  f  sco,  uscir^,  uscii,  uscito 
Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 


?sco         usciamo 
^sci         uscite 
^sce        fscono 


^sca 
?sca 
?sca 


usciamo 

usciate 

fscano 


Imperative 

usciamo 
§sci         uscite 
fsca         fscano 


VOCABULARY 


acciaio  steel 

arg^nto  silver 

ffrro  iron 

fico  fig 

gallina  hen 

gfnero  son  in-law 

gru  crane 

istitutore,  -trice  teacher 

latta  tin 

limone  lemon 

pfcora  sheep 

noce  walnut-tree ;  nut,  walnut 

nugra  daughter-in-law 

olmo  elm 

Qro  gold 

padrone  landlord,  proprietor 

pero  pear-tree 

Pfsco  peach-tree 

problfma  problem 

quercia  oak 


rame  copper 
R?no  Rhine 
scarafaggio  beetle 
S?nna  Seine 
socialista  socialist 
sugcero,  -a   father-in-law,  mother- 
in-law 
Tamigi  Thames 
tfma  theme 
Tevere  Tiber 

traditore,  -tora  traitor,  traitress 
uva  grape 
vacca  cow 
vite  grapevine 
macchia  thicket,  brambles 
cggliere,  cogli?ndo,  cglgo,  coglierg, 

cglsi,  cglto  gather 
uscire  di  go  out  of 

generalmente  usually 


207 


§204  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

EXERCISE 

I 

I.  Beetles  are  usually  black.  2.  The  grape  is  the  fruit  of  the 
vine.  3.  He  has  bought  himself  three  cows  and  some  hens. 
4.  Gold  and  silver  are  precious  metals.  5.  It  is  said  that  figs  are 
not  gathered  from  brambles.  6.  My  father-in-law  and  mother-in- 
law,  having  risen  early,  left  this  morning  at  seven.  7.  The  Span- 
iard aimed  the  gun  at  the  cranes.  8.  Grapes  are  gathered  from 
grapevines,  peaches  from  peach-trees,  pears  from  pear-trees,  and 
walnuts  from  walnut-trees.  9.  His  theme  was  the  problem  of  the 
socialists.  10.  The  cows  are  hungry.  11.  What  kind  of  fruit  is 
there  on  the  table?  There  are  figs  and  lemons.  12.  Sheep  and 
cows  are  usually  bought  at  the  village. 

II 

I.  Iron,  steel,  tin  and  copper  are  not  precious  metals.  2.  My 
son-in-law,  having  gathered  some  walnuts  and  having  given  us 
some,  has  carried  the  rest  home  in  his  basket.  3.  As  I  went  out 
of  the  house,  I  saw  them  returning.  4.  At  the  end  of  the  year  1870 
the  hostile  soldiers  came  out  of  Rome.  5.  Having  gone  away  be- 
fore half  past  ten,  I  did  not  hear  them  talking  about  it.  6.  Hurry, 
sir,  if  you  wish  to  arrive  before  the  train  leaves.  7 .  Here  are  some 
grapes ;  let  us  gather  some.  8.  I  do  not  doubt  the  proprietor  will 
permit  us  to  carry  some  home.  9.  Traitors  and  traitresses  are  to 
be  punished  in  whatever  places  they  are  found.  10.  Elms  and  oaks 
are  found  in  America.  1 1 .  The  Rhine,  the  Thames,  the  Seine,  and 
the  Tiber  are  rivers  of  Europe. 


208 


INDEFINITES  §  206 

LESSON  XXXV 
INDEFINITES.    THE  VERB  SCEGLIERE 

205.  Alphabetical  List  of  Indefinites. 

alcuno,  -i,  -a,  -e  'some,'  'any.'   (Adj.  or  pron.,  used  often  with  non 

to  mean  'not  any.') 
altrettanto,  -i,  -a,  -e  (pron.  or  adj.)  'as  much  more,'  'as  many  more' 
altri  (pron.)  'another,'  used  of  persons 

altri  .  .  .  altri  (pron.)  '  some  .  .  .  others,'  used  of  persons  (also  sing, 
altro  (pron.)  'something  else,'  'anything  else' 
altrui  (pron.)  '  to,  of,  or  for  another,'  or  *  others,'  used  of  persons, 

and  never  in  the  nominative 
certuni,  -e  (pron.)  'certain  ones,'  used  of  persons 
checch^,  checchessia  (pron.)  'whatever,'  'anything  whatever' 
chi  .  .  .  chi  (pron.)  'some  .  .  .  others,'  'one  .  .  .  another' 
chicchessia,  chiunque  (pron.)  'whoever,'  'any  one  whatever' 
ciascuno,  -a,  ciascheduno,  -a  (pron.)  'each  one,'  used  of  persons 
cosiffatto,  -a,  -i,  -e  (adj.)  'such' 

nessuno,  -a,  niuno,  -a  (pron.  or  adj.)  'not  one,'  'no  one' 
Qgni  (adj.)  'every' 

ognuno,  -a  (pron.)  '  every  one,'  used  of  persons 
parecchi,  -ie  (pron.  or  adj.)  'several' 
per  quanto  (adv.)  '  however ' 
i  piU  (pron.)  'most,'  'most  people' 
qualche  (adj.)  'some' 

qualcheduno,  -a,  qualcuno,  -a  (pron.)  'some  one' 
qualcQsa  (pron.)  'something' 
qualsiasi,  qualsisia,  qualsivgglia  (adj.)  'whatever,'  'any  whatever,' 

never  used  in  the  nominative 
qualunque  (adj.)  'whatever,'  'any  whatever' 
tale,  -i  (adj.  or  pron.)  'such' 
tale  .  .  .  quale  'such  ...  as' 
tanto,  -i,  -a,  -e  'so  much,'  'so  many' 
tanto  .  .  .  quanto  'as  much  ...  as' 
uno,  -a  (pron.)  'one';  (adj.)  'one,'  'a  single' 

209 


§§  205-206  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

un  che,  un  non  sq  che  *a  something,'  'something  or  other' 
una  CQsa  '  something,'  clear  in  the  speaker's  mind 
un  tale  (adj.)  'such  a';  (pron.)  'so-and-so,'  'such  a  one' 
Puno  e  I'altro  'both' 
nh  V  uno  nh  V  altro  '  neither ' 
r  uno  0  V  altro  '  either ' 

veruno,  -a  'no  one,'  'any  one,'  used  in  negative  or  doubtful  sen- 
tences or  expressions  of  doubt 

a.  An  indefinite  followed  by  an  adjective  requires  di. 

Ni^nte  di  nugvo  Nothing  new 

Qualc9sa  di  b^llo  Something  beautiful 

206.  Alcuno,  etc.,  'some,'  'any.'  a.  Alcuno  is  either  adjec- 
tive or  pronoun.  In  affirmative  sentences  its  use  is  confined 
chiefly  to  the  plural. 

Alcuni  lo  dicono  Some  say  so 

H9  alcuni  libri  russi  I  have  some  Russian  books 

1.  With  non,  alcuno  in  the  singular  regularly  means  'none,'  'not 
any,'  and  follows  the  noun. 

Nella  regione  devastata  dal  terre-      In  the  region  devastated  by  the 
m9to,  npn  rimane  piii  casa  alcuna  earthquake,  there  is  not  a  house 

remaining 

2.  'Anything,'  'anybody,'  in  questions,  are  translated  by  the 
negative  indefinites  (cf.  210)  nulla,  nessuno,  etc. 

£  venuto  nessuno  ?  Has  any  one  come .'' 

Di  quest'  affare  ne  sa  nulla  .-*  Do  you  know  anything  of  this 

matter  ? 

3.  'Any  one  else'  is  ogni  altro. 

Ha  fatto  piu  di  ogni  altro  He  has  done  more  than  any  one 

else 

4.  For  the  translation  of  'any'  as  pronoun,  cf.  124. 

210 


INDEFINITES  §  206 

6.  Qualcuno,  qualcheduno,   are   singular   substantive  forms, 

meaning    'some    one,'    commonly    preferred    to    alcuno    in 

affirmative  sentences. 

C  h  qualcuno  che  vorrebbe  parlarle      There  is  some  one  who  would  like 

to  speak  to  you 
Scelga  qualcuno  di  questi  quadri         Choose  some  one  of  these  pictures 

c.  Qualche,  certo,  are  adjectives  meaning  *some,'  'certain,' 
'a  certain.' 

1.  Qualche  is  used  only  in  the  singular,  even  when  the  idea  is 
plural. 

A  quel  p9vero  si  d^ve  qualche        That  poor  man  should  have  some 

aiuto  help 

Vi  stf  ttero  qualche  giprno  They  stayed  there  some  days 

2.  Certo  requires  un  in  the  singular. 

Cfrte  abitudini  sono  da  riprovarsi        Certain  habits  are  blameworthy 
Un   certo    Ciceruacchio    men9    i        A-  certain    Ciceruacchio    led    the 
Romani  alia  riv9lta  Romans  to  revolt 

d,  Qualcosa,   meaning    'something,'    is   always   used   sub- 
stantively. 

Mi  hanno  detto  che  ha  qualcgsa        They  tell  me  you  have  something 
per  me  for  me 

1.  When  referring  to  something  in  the  mind,  'something'  is 
translated  una  cosa. 

Mi  permetta  di  dirle  una  C9sa  Allow  me  to  tell  you  something 

2.  In  an  abstract  sense,  it  is  translated  un  che,  un  non  so  che, 
un  certo  che. 

Nella  sua  pr9sa  c'  h  s^mpre  un  che  In  hjs  prose  there  is  always  some- 

di  artificioso  thing  artificial 

In  questo  paesaggio  tr9vo  un  npn  I   find   something   picturesque  in 

sq  che  di  pittoresco  this  landscape 

211 


§§206-207  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

e,  '  Some  .  .  .  others '  is  translated  by  alcuni  .  .  .  altri,  altri 
.  .  .  altri,  gli  uni  .  .  .  gli  altri,  chi  .  .  .  chi,  and  sometimes  quale 
.  .  .  quale.    Chi  and  quale  take  the  verb  in  the  singular. 

Alcuni  combattevano  s^mpre,  altri  Some   continued   to  fight,  others 

la  davano  vinta  gave  up 

Chi  lo  compiangeva,  chi  lo  deri-  Some  pitied  him,  others  laughed 

deva  at  him 

Qual  fior  cadea   sul   lembo,  qual  Some  flowers  fell  on  her  robe's 

sulle  trecce  bionde  hem,  some  on  her  blond  tresses 

207.  Uno  'one,'  etc.  a.  The  pronoun  'one,'  in  the  gen- 
eral sense  of  'we,'  'you,'  'they,'  'people,'  is  translated  by 
uno,  or  by  the  third  person  of  the  reflexive  (cf.  106,  &). 

Quand'  uno  si  tr9va  in  un  paese  When  one  is  in  a  foreign  country, 
strani^ro,  d?ve  studiarne  i  cos-  he  should  study  its  customs 

tumi 

Dove  si  entra  ?  Where  does  one  enter  1 

b.  Before  a  proper  name,  un  is  equivalent  to  un  certo. 

Fu   il    t^rzo    triumviro    un    Carlo      The  third  triumvir  was  a  certain 
Armellini  Carlo  Armellini 

c.  Uno  sometimes  means  'one  single,'  'one  and  the  same.' 

La    p9vera    v^cchia    non    ha   un  The  poor  old  woman  has  not  a 

soldo  (single)  penny 

Amore  e  '1  cgr  gentil  son  una  C9sa  Love  and  the  gentle  heart  are  one 

[Dante]  same  thing  [Rossetti] 

I.  In  the  feminine  singular  it  modifies  some  word  like  azione 
*  action'  or  truffa  'trick,'  understood.  Cf.  146,  k,  i. 

Ce  ne  ha  fatta  una  He  has  played  us  one  of  his  tricks 

d.  'The  .  .  .  one,'  with  an  adjective  between,  often  takes 
a  demonstrative  where  it  would  not  be  needed  in  English ; 
the  word  'one'  is  omitted  in  translation. 

212 


INDEFINITES  §§  207-208 

Non  mi  piace  quest'  ombrellino.  I  do  not  like  this  parasol.  I  shall 
Pr^ndo  quelle  scuro  take  the  dark  one 

Codesta  pera  non  e  bu9na ;  pr§nda  This  pear  is  not  good ;  take  the 
queir  altra  other  one 

Mi  piacciono  quelle  bf  He  I  like  those  pretty  ones  (/) 

e.  'Each  one,'  'every  one,'  are  translated  by  ciascuno,  cias- 
theduno,  and  ognuno,  pronoun.  Ogni,  'each,'  'every,'  is  an 
adjective.    For  tutti,  'everybody,'  tutto,  'everything,'  cf.  160. 

Ciascuno  di  quel  principi  fu  degno  Each  of  those  princes  was  worthy 

d'  onore  of  honor 

Ogni  casa  aveva  un  giardinetto  Each  house  had  a  little  garden 

In  ogni  caso  In  any  case 

Ognuno  agisce  come  crede  Every  one  acts  as  he  thinks  best 

I.  'Apiece'  is  translated  by  per  uno,  per  ciascuno. 
Di^de  loro  s^i  lire  per  uno  He  gave  them  six  lire  apiece 

/.  Uno  correlative  with  altro. 

Saper  V  un  dell'  altro  To  know  one  from  the  other 

L'  uno  e  1'  altro  Both 

L'  un  lito  e  1'  altro  vidi  infin  la       Both  shores  I  saw  as  far  as  Spain 

Spagna 

Ne  1'  uno  n^  V  altro  Neither 

L'  uno  o  1'  altro  Either 

Gli  uni  .  .  .  gli  altri  Some  .  .  .  others 

Used  reciprocally,  cf.  104,  6. 

I.  Except  in  the  phrase  gli  uni  ...  gli  altri,  uno  has  no  plural. 
Its  plural  is  supplied  by  alcuni. 

208.  Altro  'other,'  etc.  a,  Altri  is  a  singular  pronoun, 
referring  to  persons;  it  means  'another,'  'some  one  else,* 
and  is  often  used  in  contrast. 

N^  tu  n^  altri  Neither  you  nor  any  one  else 

213 


§  208  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

b,  Altrui  is  like  altri,  except  that  it  may  have  a  plural  mean- 
ing, and  is  never  nominative.  - 

Non  si  d?ve  bramare  i  b^ni  altrui       One  should  not  covet  the  goods  of 

others 

c,  Altro   as   pronoun   refers   only  to  things,   and  means 

'something  else,'  'anything  else,'  'else.' 

Ci  vu9le  altro?  Is  something  else  needed? 

Ni^nt'  altro  Nothing  else 

Che  altro?  What  else? 

Non  desidero  altro  I  do  not  wish  anything  else 

1.  With  the  article,  or  in  the  plural,  it  refers  to  persons. 

V  altra   h   colei   che    s'  ancise         The  other  is  she  who  killed  her- 

amorosa  self  for  love 

Un  altro,  che  forata  avea  la  gola         Another,  who  had  his  throat  pierced 

2.  With  numbers,  altro  usually  precedes. 
Altri  quattro  Four  others 

d,  Altro  as  adjective  means  'other,'  and  has  some  special 
uses. 

1.  With  noi  and  voi  it  is  reenforcing. 

Noi  altri  Russi  We  Russians 

Vpi  altri  Inglesi  You  English 

2.  In  the  partitive  construction  it  means  'some  more.' 
Desidera  dell'  altro  vino  ?  Do  you  wish  some  more  wine  ? 
Dell'  altr'  acqua  calda,  per  piacere       Some  more  hot  water,  please 

Le  piacciono  le  susine?    Si  serva      Do   you   like    the   plums?     Take 
delle  altre  some  more 

3.  Expressions  of  time. 

L'  altro  anno  Last  year 

Quest'  altra  settimana  Next  week 

4.  For  its  use  correlatively  and  reciprocally,  cf.  207,  / 

5.  For  its  adverbial  use,  cf.  215,e;  216,/ 

214 


INDEFINITES  §§  208-209 

e.  Altrettanto,  a  pronoun  referring  to  things,  means  'as 

much  or  as  many  more.' 

Di^de  cinque  soldi  al  ragazzo  e      She  gave  five  pennies  to  the  boy, 
altrettanti  alia  sua  sorellina  and  as  many  more  to  his  little 

sister 
Lego  tre  mila  lire  a  lui,  e  altret-      He  left  three  thousand  lire  to  him, 

tanto  a  me  and  as  much  more  to  me 

Le  auguro  c^nto  di  questi  giorni.       I  wish  you  many  happy  returns  of 
Grazie,  altrettanto  a  Lei  the  day.    Thank  you,  the  same 

to  you 

209.  Some  More  General  Indefinites,    a.  Tale  'such,'  tanto 
'so  much,'  etc. 

1.  Tale,  un  tale,  means  'one,'  'a  certain  one.' 

Tal  si  parti  da  cantare  alleluia  One  left  off  singing  alleluia 

Quel  tal  Sandro,  autor  d'  un  ro-      A  certain  Sandro,  author  of  a  tale 
manzetto 

2.  'Such  a'  is  translated  un  tale. 

Non  potevano  continuare  a  com-      They  could  not  continue  fighting 
battere  dopo  una  tale  sconfitta  after  such  a  defeat 

3.  Tal  quale  may  mean  'a  kind  of  or  Mike.' 

Questi  ucc^Ui  producono  una  tal  These  birds   produce   a   kind   of 

qua!  armonia  che  piace  pleasing  harmony 

Come  gli  somiglia  il  suo  gem^Uo.  How  much  his  twin  brother  re- 

£  tal  quale !  sembles  him !  He  is  exactly  like 

4.  Tale  .  .  .  quale  means  '  such  .  .  .  as,'  and  in  long  poetic  com- 
parisons quale  often  precedes. 

Tal  mi  fee'  io  quai  son  color  che  I  became  as  those  who  stand  still 

stanno,    Per  non  int^nder  quel  because   of    not   understanding 

ch'  h  lor  risposto  what  is  replied  to  them 

Qual  h  quel   cane  ch'  abbaiando  Like  the  dog  which  barking  craves 

agugna  .  .  .  Cotai  si  fecer  quelle  . . .  such  those  foul  faces  became 
facce  Iprde 

215 


§209  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

5.  Tanto  .  .  .  quanto  are  similarly  correlative,  and  mean  'as 
much  ...  as.' 

Quanto  gli  prestai,  tanto  mi  res-      He  returned  me  as  much  as  I  lent 
titui  him 

6.  Special  uses  of  tanto. 

Ai  tanti  del  mese  On  such  a  day  of  the  month 

Un  tanto  la  settimana  So  much  per  week 

Visit9  la  Turchla  agli  ottanta  tanti      He  visited  Turkey  in  the  eighties 

b,  Chiunque,  qualunque,  etc.,  'whoever/  *  whatever,'  'any 
whatever,'  etc. 

1.  Chiunque  and  chicchessia  are  pronouns  referring  to  persons; 
chicchessia  and  checchessia  are  not  used  in  the  nominative.  Checchd 
is  preferred  to  checchessia. 

Non  lo  far6,  chiunque  me  lo  con-      Whoever   advises  it,   I   shall   not 

sigli  do  it 

Non  lo  darei  a  chicchessia  I  should  not  give  it  to  anybody 

at  all 
Checchfe  avv^nga,  non  abbandone-      Whatever  happens,  they  will  not 

ranno  la  posizione  abandon  the  position 

2.  Qualunque,  qualsiv9glia,  and  qualsiasi  are  adjectives. 

Garibaldi  ritirandosi  da  Roma,  si  Garibaldi,  when    retreating   from 

sarfbbe    rifugiato    in    qualsiasi  Rome,  would  have  taken  refuge 

paesetto  in  any  village  whatever 

Qualunque    ne    sia    il    motivo,    h  Whatever  may  be  its  motive,  it  is 

un'  azione  indegna  an  unworthy  action 

3.  Per  quanto  is  an  adverb,  meaning  'however.' 

Per  quanto  il  capitano  fosse  magna-      However  magnanimous  the  captain 
nimo,  non  pote  perdonare  un  might  be,  he  could  not  forgive 

tale  insulto  such  an  insult 

C.   Cf.  169,  h. 

216 


INDEFINITES  §§  210-211 

210.  Negative  Indefinites,  a,  Nessuno,  niuno,  venino,  are 
pronouns  or  adjectives  referring  to  persons  or  things.  Nes- 
suno is  the  most  common. 

Nessun  er9e  fu  mai  piu  valoroso      No   hero   was   ever  braver  than 

di  Orlando  Roland 

Nessuno  ci  si  m9sse  No  one  stirred 

1.  Nulla,  niente,  are  pronouns  meaning  'nothing.' 

Non  c'  h  nulla  da  mangiare  There  is  nothing  to  eat 

Non  v9glio  nulla  I  wish  nothing 

Di  ni§nte  Not  at  all,  don't  mention  it 

2.  When  one  of  these  negatives  follows  the  verb,  non  must 
precede.    If  the  negative  precede,  non  is  not  required. 

Non  fa  ni§nte  Never  mind 

Non  ci  si  vede  nifnte  There  is  nothing  to  be  seen 

Nessuno  era  arrivato  prima  delle  No  one  had  arrived  before  seven 

s^tte 

Non  c'  h  nessuno  de'  miei  Not  one  of  my  relatives  is  here 

3.  Used  absolutely,  without  verb,  these  words  are  negative  in 
meaning. 

Chi  c'  9  ?   Nessuno  Who  is  there }   No  one 

4.  Cf.  206,  a,  I. 

211.  The  Verb  scegliere  'choose.* 

Principal  Parts  :  Scegliere,  scegli?ndo,  scelgo,  sceglier^, 
scelsi,  scelto 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 

scelgo         scegliamo,  scelghiamo  scelga         scegliamo 

scegli  scegliete  scelga         scegliate 

sceglie         scelgono  scelga         scelgano 

217 


§211 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


VOCABULARY 


la  carezza  caress 

la  chicca  sweetmeat 

la  C9llera  anger 

la  cplpa  fault,  blame 

il  difftto  defect,  fault 

la  fede  faith 

i  genitpri  parents 

il  nipotino  little  nephew 

la  pace  peace 

il  rimprgvero  reproof 

il  segno  sign 

allpra  then 

dentro  di  within,  inside  of 
dOYunque  wherever 
spesso  often 


accgrgersi,  accQrsi,  accgrto  perceive 
avvezzare  accustom 
corrfggere,  corr^ssi,  corr^tto  correct 
corrfggersi  di  un  dif^tto  correct  a 

fault 
durare  last,  hold  out 
principiare  begin 
rimproverare  reprove  (rimprgvero) 
riuscire  {like  uscire)  succeed ;  non 

mi  rifsce  I  can't 
tornar  conto  be  of  advantage 

alcuno,  -i,  -a,  -e  some,  any 
altrettanto  as  much  more 
nessuno  no,  not  any,  no  one 
nifnte  nothing 


EXERCISE 

I 

DAL  GIORNALE  DI  GIGI 

Tutte  le  volte  che  ho  da  fare  qualche  cosa  di  nuovo,  dico  subito 
dentro  di  me  —  Non  mi  riesce  !  —  e  trovo  gran  fatica  a  principiare. 
Ma  appena  ho  cominciato,  spesso  mi  accorgo  che  quello  che  mi 
pareva  impossibile  e  possibilissimo,  e  che,  qualche  volta,  e  anche 
facile.  Ho  poco  fede  nelle  mie  forze,  e  voglio  correggermi  di 
questo  difetto. 

Tutti  mi  rimproverano  perche  sono  troppo  facile  a  lasciarmi 
prendere  dalla  collera.  Se  tutti  mi  dicono  questo,  e  segno  che 
deve  esser  vero.  Specialmente  la  mamma  non  mi  dk  mai  pace  coi 
suoi  rimproveri.  Ma  la  mamma  la  voglio  contentarla,  e  ora  che  son 
grande  mi  voglio  correggere. 

Questa  e  una  cosa  che  non  la  sa  nessuno ;  ma  io  la  so.    Una 
gran  parte  di  quelle  carezze  che  faccio  ai  nonni  e  ai  miei  genitori, 

218 


INDEFINITES  §  211 

le  faccio  perche  mi  toma  conto.  Ma  io  non  ci  ho  colpa.  Mi  ci 
devono  avere  avvezzato  da  piccino,  e  piu  di  tutti  mi  ci  deve  avere 
awezzato  la  povera  zia  Francesca,  buon'  anima,  che  mi  diceva 
sempre  —  Se  mi  dai  un  bacio,  ti  do  una  chicca. —  E  io,  allora,  du- 
ravo  a  dargliene  finche  ci  eran  chicche  ;  ma  quando  le  chicche  della 
zia  Francesca  eran  finite,  finivano  subito  i  baci  del  nipotino  Gigi. 

II 

I.  Whenever  one  has  something  new  to  do,  one  should  not  say 
"  I  can't  do  it."  2.  No  one  could  make  me  begin  it  3.  Do  not  say 
it  to  any  one.  4.  In  this  book  there  is  nothing  good.  5.  My  par- 
ents gave  my  little  brother  three  cents,  and  they  gave  me  as  many 
more.  6.  Wherever  you  go,  you  will  find  no  one  who  loves  you  as 
they  do  [like  them].  7.  Everybody  reproved  him  for  being  easily 
made  angry.     8.  Has  any  one  spoken  of  it  to  you?     No  one. 

9.  However  bad  your  defects  may  be,  you  can  correct  them. 

10.  Do  you  wish  anything  else?  Nothing  else.  11.  I  had  already 
perceived  it  last  year.  12.  I  was  not  speaking  of  this  book,  but  of 
the  new  one.  13.  Let  us  try  to  correct  our  faults.  14.  Some 
praised  him  for  accustoming  himself  to  working ;  others  reproved 
him  for  not  correcting  his  faults.  15.  They  will  never  give  you 
peace  as  long  as  you  let  yourself  become  angry  easily.  16.  But  it 
is  not  your  fault.  17.  Have  you  any  nuts  ?  Let  me  give  you  some 
more.     18.  No,  thank  you,  but  I  should  like  some  more  coffee. 

19.  Come  with  us,  gentlemen;  have  you  noticed  what  time  it  is? 

20.  However  difficult  those  lessons  are,  he  will  have  them  learned 
within  a  few  days. 

Ill 

L'  AUTOMOBILE 

II  mio  amico  Giacomo  ha  comprato  un'  automobile.  Siccome 
non  sa  ancora  troppo  bene  condurla,  gli  capita  di  quando  in  quando 
qualche  malanno.  La  prima  volta  ch'  e  rimasto  in  panna,  fu  per 
mancanza  di  benzina,  il  che  pub  succedere  anche  agli  automobilisti 

219 


§  212  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

esperti.  Un'  altra  volta  una  persona  sul  marciapiede  gli  fece  segno 
che  uno  dei  copertoni  delle  rote  era  consumalo.  Era  sgonfio. 
Immediatamente  dopo,  uno  schianto  come  un  tuono  lo  avverti  che 
un  altro  pneumatico  era  scoppiato.  Si  dove  fermare  dieci  minuti  a 
pompare.  Poi  tiro  via,  sonando  la  cometta  da  svegliare  i  Sette 
Dormienti.  Poco  dopo  gli  e  successo  un  accidente,  di  quelli  gravi. 
Fu  cosi:  II  mantice,  che  generalmente  lo  teneva  giu,  era  stato 
alzato  per  la  pioggia;  percio  non  poteva  vedere  bene  come  al 
SQlito.  A  un  tratto  s'  accorse  che  un  bambino  gli  traversava  la 
strada  proprio  davanti.  Cercando  di  evitarlo,  dette  il  freno,  ma  il 
freno,  per  la  prima  volta,  non  andava.  Allora  cercb.di  sterzare  piii 
presto  che  poteva,  ma  nell'  eccitamento  giro  un  po'  troppo  il  vo- 
lante ;  e  1'  automobile,  che  stava  in  cima  alia  salita,  svolto  improv- 
visamente  a  destra,  andando  a  sbattere  su  quel  po'di  muricciuolo 
air  orlo  della  strada,  il  quale  cedette,  e  1'  automobile  slitto  giu  fino 
al  fiume.  Si  fermb  per  fortuna  proprio  sull'  orlo  del  torrente,  e 
benche  tutti  fossero  spaventati  da  morirne,  non  ci  fu  nessuna 
disgrazia. 

LESSON  XXXVI 

ADVERBS.    THE  VERB  VALERE 

212.  Position  of  Adverbs,    a.  Rules  for  position  are  not 

very  strict,  but  most  adverbs,  except  non,  follovi^  the  verb. 

Non  lo  trov9  He  did  not  find  it 

Lo  trovo  immediatamente  He  found  it  immediately 

b.  An  adverb  modifying  an  adjective,  another  adverb,  or 

a  phrase,  usually  precedes. 

E  tiQppo  difficile  It  is  too  difficult 

Riusci  singolarmente  b^ne  He  succeeded  singularly  well 

Viaggiando,  specialmente  con  un  When  one  travels,  especially  with 
compagno  simpatico,  se  ne  g9de  a  congenial  companion,  one  has 

moltissimo  much  enjoyment 

2  20 


ADVERBS  §§  213-215 

213.  Comparison  of  Adverbs.    Cf.  115,  116,  117. 

214.  Adverbs  of  Manner,    a.  These  are  almost  all  formed 
by  adding  -mente  to  the  feminine  of  the  adjective. 

Premuroso  '  eager,'  premurosamente  '  eagerly ' 

1.  If  the  feminine  of  the  adjective  ends  in  -le  or  -re,  the  -e  is 
dropped  before  -mente. 

Facile,  facilmente ;  particolare,  particolarmente 

2.  Certain  adverbs  ending  in  -one,  -oni,  indicate  the  posture 
of  the  body. 

Bocconi  'flat  on  one's  face,'  carppni  'on  all  fours' 

&.  A  few  adverbs  end  in  -i  or  -e  ;  as  altrimenti  'otherwise,* 
bfne  *well,'  volentifri  'willingly,'  etc. 

c.  Certain  adjectives  in  -o  are  used  as  adverbs ;  as  alto 
'high,*  prfsto  'quick,'  sicuro  'sure,'  subito  'sudden.' 

1.  Certain  others,  when  so  used,  continue  to  agree  with  their 
noun.    Such  are  caro,  grande,  m^zzo,  solo,  tutto,  primo,  and  ultimo. 

M^zza  m9rta  Half  dead 

DesTdero  due  sole  paia  I  wish  only  two  pairs 

Questa  catena  1'  ho  pagata  cara  I  paid  dear  for  this  chain 

2.  Bello  is  used  adverbially  along  with  the  past  participle. 
La  r9ba  bell'  e  fatta  Ready-made  goods 

Lo  scorpione  era  bell'  e  mgrto  The  scorpion  was  good  and  dead 

3.  Certain  adverbial  phrases   are  used   adjectively  to  modify 
nouns. 

II  pi^de  di  diftro  The  hind  foot 

Un  u9mo  per  b?ne  An  honorable  man 

Una  C9sa  da  nulla  A  trifle 

215.  Adverbs  of  Affirmation,    a.  Si  is  'yes'  in  answer  to 
a  question. 

Verrk  stasera  ?    Si  Shall  you  come  this  evening .?  Yes 

221 


§  215  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

b.  Gia  is  'yes'  in  simple  confirmation  or  agreement. 
Pi9ve  a  dirotto.    Gi^  It  is  pouring.    Yes,  it  is 

I.  In  such  confirmatory  phrases  as  'I  think  so,'  'I  hope  so,' 
'so'  is  expressed  by  lo  (cf.  100,  e,  i). 

Lo  sp^ro  I  hope  so 

c.  Pure  adds  emphasis,  and  is  equivalent  to  'do/  'pray  do.' 
V^nga  pure  Do  come 

d.  Pur    troppo    assents   with    regret,    meaning    'only   too 
much/  'only  too  well,'  'yes,  unfortunately.' 

Lo  conosce?   Pur  tr9ppo  Do  you  know  him?    Only  too  well 

e.  The  following  are  emphatic  affirmatives : 

Altro  !  By  all  means ! 

Appunto  Exactly 

Davvero  It  is  true.    Really  ? 

C^rto,  sicuro,  si  b^ne  Yes,  indeed 

Lo  credo !  I  believe  you ! 

/.  Ma  si  affirms  while  contradicting. 

Non  h  mai  stato  in  Amf  rica,  credo.  You  have  never  been  in  America, 
Ma  si,  pill  V9lte  I  think.    O  yes,  several  times 

g,  Altro  Che  not  only  answers  in  the  affirmative,  but  adds 
something  not  implied  in  the  question. 

Non  s'  e  visto  ancora  il  mfdico  ?  Nothing  has  been  seen  yet  of  the 
Altro  che  visto  !    C  9  !  doctor.?   Better  than  that !   He's 

here! 

Conosce  quella  signorina?  Altro  Do  you  know  that  young  lady? 
che  conoscerla !    E  mia  sor^lla !  Rather !    She  is  my  sister ! 

h,  Signora  si  and  Signor  no  are  equally  admissible  with  Si 
Signora  and  No  Signore,  though  less  usual. 


ADVERBS  §  216 

216.  Adverbs  of  Negation,    a.  Non  immediately  precedes 
the  verb,  or  the  object  pronoun  if  there  be  one. 
Npn  v9glio  I  will  not,  I  refuse 

Npn  lo  trov9  He  did  not  find  it 

6.  Non  ...  Che  means  'only,*  'but.' 
Non  ne  desidero  che  due  I  wish  only  two  of  them 

I.  In  the  locutions  non  .  .  .  che,  non  .  .  .  mai,  the  verb 
stands  between. 

Non  lo  fece  mai  He  never  did  it 

Non  chi^de  che  un  p9'  di  pane  She  asks  only  a  bit  of  bread 

c.  'Neither  .  .  .  nor'  is  ne  .  .  .  ne. 

N^  piu  nh  meno  Neither  more  nor  less 

d.  No  is  'no'  spoken  in  reply  to  a  question,  and  is  used 
instead  of  non  in  the  phrases  o  no  'or  not,'  se  no  'if  not,' 
and  sometimes  in  antithetical  phrases,  where  a  part  only  of 
the  proposition  is  contradicted. 

Verr9  domani,  o  nq?  Shall  I  come  to-morrow  or  not? 

Se  n9,  verro  domani  I'altro  If  not,  I  will  come  day  after  to- 
morrow 

Pr^ndo  il  bianco  e  il  marrone,  ma  I'll   take  the  white  one  and  the 

non  il  rosso  brown,  but  not  the  red  one 

V^ngo  volenti^ri  al  teatro,  ma  in  I  will  go  to  the  theater  gladly,  but 

plat^a  ng  not  in  the  orchestra  seats 

I.  Di  is  required  with  the  adverbs  of  affirmation  or  negation  in 
such  expressions  as  the  following : 
Credo  di  ng  I  think  not 

Rispose  di  si  He  said  yes 

e.  For  the  negatives  'nothing,'  'nobody,'  etc.,  cf.  210. 

I.  Niente  is  often  used  adjectively  in  conversation  to  mean 
'not  any.' 

Ni?nte  frutta,  grazie  No  fruit,  thank  you 

223 


§§  216-217  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

/.  The  principal  adverbs  of  negation  are 

119  no,  not 

npn  not 

npn  .  .  .  mai,  non  .  .  .  giammai  never 

npn  .  .  .  pill  no  longer,  never  again 

non  .  .  .  punto,  non  .  .  .  mica  {contradicting)  not  at  all 

nifnte  affatto  nothing  at  all,  not  at  all 

per  ni?nte  not  in  the  least 

tutt'  altro  by  no  means,  on  the  contrary 

Non  lo  faro  piii  I  shall  never  do  it  again 

Non  lavora  piii  He  is  no  longer  working 

Suo  zio  non  le  lego  nifnte  affatto        Her  uncle  left  her  nothing  at  all 

Ma  non  c'  h  nulla,  pr9prio  nulla  But  there  is  nothing  there,  nothing 

at  all 
P^nsa    insomma    di    farlo  ?     Per       You  are  thinking  of  doing  it  after 

ni?nte !  all  ?    Not  for  anything 

Le  d9  n9ia  se  apro  la  fin^stra?      Will  it  disturb  you  if  I  open  the 

Tutt' altro;  ci  fa  caldo  window?    On  the  contrary,  it  is 

too  warm  here 

I .  Mai  and  punto,  used  absolutely  and  without  verb,  have  nega- 
tive value ;  but  mai  alone  in  comparative  or  interrogative  sentences 
means  'ever.' 

Le  place  questo  paesaggio  ?  Punto       Do  you  like  this  view  ?   Not  at  all 

II  migliore  ch'io  abbia  mai  visto  The  best  I  ever  saw 

Ha  mai  visitato  la  Cina?   Mai  Have  you  ever  visited  China?  Never 

217.  Adverbs  of  Place,  a.  'Here,'  'there/  etc.,  when  at 
all  emphatic,  are  expressed  by  the  following  adverbs,  which 
are  to  be  carefully  distinguished  according  to  whether  the 
place  indicated  is  near  the  speaker,  near  the  person  spoken 
to,  or  remote  from  either. 

I.  Near  the  speaker:  qua  means  'here,'  'here  in  this  room  or 
place';  qui  means  'here  by  me';  quaggivi,  quassii,  mean  respec- 
tively 'down  here,'  'up  here.' 

224 


ADVERBS  §217 

2.  Near  the  person  addressed:  costi,  costa,  'there  where  you 
are ' ;  costaggiu  '  down  there  where  you  are ' ;  costassii  '  up  there 
where  you  are.' 

3.  Remote  from  either:  Ik,  cola,  li,  ivi,  quivi,  'there'  (Ik  and 
cola  being  further  removed  than  li) ;  laggiu  '  down  there '  and 
lassu  'up  there';  indi,  quindi,  'thence.' 

4.  Special  uses :  di  qua,  quaggiu,  mean  '  here  below,'  '  on  this 
earth' ;  di  la,  costa,  quassii,  'above,'  'in  the  other  world.' 

Essere  piu  di  \k  che  di  qua  To  be  more  dead  than  alive 

Di  li  a  due  giorni  Two  days  from  then 

Stare  li  li  per  far  una  0953  To  be  on  the  very  point  of  doing 

a  thing 
Essere  in  la  cogli  anni  To  be  well  on  in  years 

b.  When  not  emphatic,  or  when  referring  to  a  place  al- 
ready mentioned,  'here,'  'there,'  and  'thence'  are  expressed 
respectively  by  ci,  vi,  ne  (cf.  126). 

I.  Special  uses  of  ci.  Ci  is  used  very  often  with  apparent  re- 
dundance, as  if  to  reinforce  or  enrich  the  meaning  of  the  verb. 

Non  ci  s^nto  ni^nte  I  hear  nothing 

Ci  h9  due  mila  lire  I  have  two  thousand  lire  (in  the 

house,  on  my  person) 
Iddio  c'  ^  God  is 

c.  'Here  is,'  'there  is,'  when   demonstrative,  are  trans- 
lated by  ecco  (cf .  100,  a) ;  when  not  demonstrative,  by  c*  ^,  ci 
sono,  v'l,  vi  sono.    Ecco  answers  'where  .? '  c'fe  etc.,  'what?  ' 
Ecco  una  farfalla !  There  is  a  butterfly 

Ci  sono  tanti  olivi  sulle  colline  There  are  many  olive-trees  on  the 

hillsides 

d.  Altrove,  altronde,  are  adverbs  of  place  meaning '  elsewhere.' 

e.  Dove  and  quando  are  used  correlatively :  dove  .  .  .  dove 
meaning  'here  .  .  .  there,'  and  quando  .  .  .  quando  'now  .  .  . 
now.' 

225 


218-219 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


218.  Adverbs  of  Quantity,    a.  Cf.  160. 

b.  Troppo  is  followed  by  da  (or  per)  to  mean  '  too  much  ...  to.' 
£  trgppo  bu9no  da  farlo  He  is  too  kind  to  do  it 

I.  Troppo  followed  by  pid  has  the  meaning  of  molto. 

£  trgppo  piu  difficile  che  non  crede      It  is  much  more  difficult  than  you 

think 

c,  'The  more  .  .  .  the  more'  is  translated  by  piii  .  .  .  e  pm. 

PiU  V9  innanzi  cogli  anni  e  pili  amo      The  older  I  grow  the  more  I  love 
i  giovani  the  young 

219.  Lists  of  Adverbs  and  Adverbial  Phrases.    (Cf.  227.) 
a.  Adverbs  of  Manner. 


Adagio 

Ad  alta  voce 

Air  ap^rto,  al  fresco 

A  beir  agio 

A  braccetto 

Alia  bu9na 

Alia  carlona 

A  suo  C9modo 

Alia  deriva 

Affatto 

A  galla 

A  gara 

Air  improvviso 

Alia  lunga 

A  lutto 

Alia  macchia 

A  malincu9re 

Alia  m^glio 

Alia  p§ggio 

Al  possTbile 

A  quattr'  9cchi 

Alia  rinfusa 

A  rov^scio 


With  ease,  slowly,  softly 

Aloud 

In  the  open 

At  ease,  conveniently,  comfortably 

Arm  in  arm 

In  a  familiar  way,  after  a  fashion 

Carelessly 

At  one's  convenience 

Adrift,  to  leeward 

Entirely,  at  all  (usually  negative) 

Afloat 

In  competition 

Unexpectedly 

Long  drawn  out 

In  mourning 

In  secret 

Against  one's  will 

For  the  best,  as  best  one  can 

The  worst  possible,  very  badly 

The  most  possible 

T^te-k-tete 

Helter-skelter ;  abundantly 

Upside  down,  wrong  end  to 

226 


ADVERBS 


§219 


Alia  sf  uggita 

Al  S9lito,  come  al  S9lito 

A  soqquadro 

Alia  stracca 

Alia  sv^lta 

Alia  svogliata 

Air  ultimo 

A  un  tratto 

A  vic^nda 

Da  capo 

Da  senno 

Di  nascosto 

Di  nu9vo 

Del  r^sto 

Di  s9lito 

Del  tutto 

Fprse 

In  compl^sso 

Indarno 

Infatti 

In  fine 

In  fretta 

In  ogni  caso 

In  pubblico 

In  tanto 

In  vano 

Piano 

Per  altro 

Per  disp^tto 

S^nz'  altro 

S^nza  dubbio 

Si  e  n9 

Sptto  sopra 

Sul  s^rio 

Suo  malgrado 

Bocconi 

Carponi 

Ciondoloni 


On  the  fly,  at  a  glance 

As  usual 

Topsy-turvy 

Listlessly,  unwillingly 

Cursorily,  hastily 

Heedlessly,  indifferentiy 

At  last 

Suddenly,  at  once 

In  turn ;  mutually 

Over  again 

In  earnest 

Secretly 

Again 

For  the  rest,  in  other  respects 

As  a  rule 

Altogether 

Perhaps 

Everything  considered 

In  vain 

In  fact 

In  short 

In  haste 

Anyway,  in  any  case 

In  public 

After  all,  meanwhile 

In  vain 

Softly,  gently,  slowly 

In  other  respects,  for  that  matter 

For  spite 

Without  delay ;  purely  and  simply 

Without  doubt 

Approximately 

Upside  down,  helter-skelter 

Seriously,  in  good  earnest 

In  spite  of  him 

Flat  on  one's  face 

On  all  fours 

Dangling 


227 


§219 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


In  ginocchioni 
Penzoloni 
Ruzzolpni 
Tastoni 


On  one's  knees 

Hanging 

Head  over  heels 

Gropingly,  feeling  one's  way 


b.  Adverbs  of  Place. 


Abbasso 

Accanto 

Al  di  dentro 

Al  di  fu9ri 

A  dritto 

Air  indi^tro 

Air  in  giu 

Air  in  su 

Da  ciascuna  parte 

Dappertutto 

Davanti 

Di  contro^ 

Di  faccia  J 

Di  dentro 

Difilato 

Diritto 

Di  fu9ri 

Dilk 

Di  qua 

Di  qua  e  di  Ik 

Di  sopra 

Di  sotto 

Fin  dove? 

Fu9ri  di  P9rta 

Giu 

In  gill 

Innanzi 

In  su 

Intorno 

Per  ogni  dove 

Qua  e  Ik 


Downstairs,  down 

Next,  next  door 

Inside 

Outside 

Straight  ahead 

Backward 

Downward 

Upward 

On  each  side 

Everywhere 

Ahead,  in  front 

Opposite 

Inside 

Straight  ahead  without  stopping 

Straight  ahead 

Outside 

On  that  side,  that  way 

On  this  side,  this  way 

On  both  sides 

Upstairs,  above 

Below,  down 

How  far? 

Outside  the  walls 

Down,  below 

Downward 

Ahead 

Upward 

Around 

Everywhere 

Here  and  there 

228 


ADVERBS 


§219 


Su 

Up,  above,  upstairs 

Su  e  giu 

Up  and  down 

Su  per  giu 

Roughly,  approximately 

c.  Adverbs  of  Time. 

Alia  fine 

At  last 

A  giorni 

At  times 

Al  giorno  d'  9ggi 

Nowadays 

A  momenti 

In  a  moment,  presently 

Appena 

No  sooner,  hardly 

A  t^mpo 

On  time 

A  V9lte 

At  times,  sometimes 

Da  mane  a  sera 

From  morning  till  night 

Da  9ggi  in  p9i  ' 

Da  qui  innanzi  ■ 

Henceforth,  from  now  on 

D'  ora  innanzi 

Da  qui  ad  un  mese 

A  month  from  now 

Da  un  momento  all'  altro 

At  any  moment 

Da  un  p^zzo 

For  some  time  past 

Dianzi 

Before,  a  little  while  ago 

Di  bu9n'  ora 

Early 

Di  quando  in  quando 

Now  and  then 

Di  rado 

Seldom 

Di  rec^nte 

Recently 

Delle  V9lte 

Sometimes 

Fino  a  quando  ? 

Until  when  ? 

Fin  dal  prindpio 

From  the  first 

Fra  br^ve 

In  a  little  while 

Fra  giorni 

In  a  few  days 

Fra  quanto  ? 

How  soon  ? 

In  giornata 

In  the  course  of  the  day 

In  men  che  non  si  dice 

In  no  time 

In9ggi 

Nowadays 

In  principio 

At  first 

In  quel  mentre,  in  questo  mentre 

In  the  meanwhile 

In  seguito 

Afterwards,  in  the  future 

In  un  batter  d'  9Cchio 

In  a  flash 

Nel  fratt^mpo 

Meanwhile 

229 


§§  219-220 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Ogni  quanto? 
Ogni  tanto 
Or  ora 
Per  ora 
Per  t§mpo 
Piu  qua 
P9C'  anzi 
Prima  o  p9i 
Quanto  prima 
Su  due  pi^di 
Suir  ultimo 
TalvQlta 
T^mpo  fa 
T^mpo  indi^tro 

Una  V9lta  ogni  tanto 


How  often  ? 

Every  so  often 

Just  now 

For  the  present 

Early 

Later 

A  little  while  ago 

Sooner  or  later 

As  soon  as  possible 

Then  and  there,  on  the  instant 

At  the  last  moment 

Sometimes 

A  while  ago 

Before  this,  in  the  past,  some  time 

ago 
Once  every  so  often 


220.  The  Verb  valere  'be  worth.' 


Principal  Parts  :  valere,  val^ndo,  valgo,  varrg,  valsi,  valuto  or  valso 

Present  Indicative  Present  Subjunctive 

valgo     valiamo,  valghiamo  valga  (vaglia)     valghiamo  (vagliamo) 

vali        valete  valga  (vaglia)     valghiate  (vagliate) 


vale       valgono 


valga  (vaglia)     valgano  (vagliano) 


VOCABULARY 


il  bgia  executioner 

Giro  Cyrus 

la  fedelta  fidelity 

Francesco  Francis 

V  ingegno  m.  talent 

il  marito  husband 

il  martire  martyr 

la  maschera  mask 

il  mostro  monster 

scellerato  criminal,  wicked 

buttare  throw  away 


giurare  swear 
impiccare  hang 
intravvedere  glimpse 
salvare  save 

sbarazzare  rid,  disembarrass 
tradire  betray 
valersi  di  avail  oneself  of 
abbasso  down,  downstairs 
alia  fine  at  last 

all'    improwiso    suddenly,   un- 
expectedly 


230 


ADVERBS  §  220 

a  lutto  in  mourning  di  nuQVO  again,  once  more 

a  momenti  in  a  moment  di  rado  seldom 

a  quattr'  Qcchi  tete-k-tete  di  rec^nte  recently 

a  t^mpo  on  time  fin  dalprincipio  from  the  beginning 

boccgni  flat  on  one's  face  fin  dove  ?  how  far  ? 

carponi  on  all  fours  ginocchipni  on  one's  knees 

da  mane  a  sera  from  morning  till      infatti  in  fact 

night  in  ogni  caso  in  any  case 

dappertutto  everywhere  quanto  prima  as  soon  as  possible 

di  nascpsto  secretly  sul  s^rio  seriously 

£X£RCISE 


GIRO  MENOTTI 

Ecco  un'  altra  vittima  illustre  della  tirannia  straniera,  un  altro 
martire,  tradito,  imprigionato  e  impiccato  da  quel  ridicolo  mostro 
che  fu  Francesco  IV,  duca  di  Modena.  La  sua  elevata  posizione 
sociale,  il  suo  ingegno,  il  suo  cuore,  V  essere  marito  e  padre,  nulla 
gli  valse  per  salvarlo.  Conoscendo  quanto  fosse  ambizioso  quel 
Duca  scellerato,  gli  face  intravvedere  la  possibility,  se  si  fosse 
messo  alia  testa  del  movimento  rivoluzionario,  di  diventar  lui  il  Re 
della  nuova  Italia.  E  il  Duca  si  mise  alia  testa  dei  rivoluzionari 
modenesi  e  giurb  fedelta.  Ma  questo  forse  egli  face  per  conoscer 
meglio  gli  uomini  dei  quali  avrebbe  dovuto  sbarazzarsi.  Infatti, 
colto  il  momento  opportuno,  buttb  via  la  maschera,  h  fece  tutti 
arrestare,  e  nel  medesimo  tempo  scrisse  al  Govematore  austriaco 
di  Reggio  :  Mandatemi  il  boia. 

II 

I .  Duke  Francis  availed  himself  of  the  mask  of  fidelity,  in  order 

to  rid  himself  of  the  revolutionists.     2.  The  wicked  man  sought 

secretly,  from  morning  till  night,  to  rid  himself  of  them.     3.  At 

last,  suddenly,  he  had  them  taken,  and  had  the  executioner  come 

231 


§§  221-222  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

as  soon  as  possible.  4.  He  had  the  martyrs  of  Italian  independ- 
ence hanged,  and  many  Italian  women  dressed  once  more  in 
mourning.  5.  After  the  battle  the  soldiers  were  found  not  seldom 
on  their  knees,  on  all  fours,  or  fiat  on  their  faces.  6.  One  easily 
sees  that  you  have  studied  seriously.  7.  Was  Duke  Francis  of 
Modena  born  in  1779  .''  Yes.  8.  Here  it  is  said  that  Prince  Louis 
is  a  monster ;  what  do  they  say  of  him  up  there  where  you  are  ? 

9.  How  far  shall  we  follow  this  road  before  turning  to  the  left? 

10.  In  any  case  we  must  start  early,  because  it  has  rained  recently. 

1 1 .  Are  you  too  tired  to  accompany  me  ?  On  the  contrary,  I 
should  like  to  go.  12.  Giro  Menotti  died  a  martyr.  Yes.  13.  Do 
you  like  Mrs.  G.?  Not  at  all.  She  is  not  at  all  congenial.  14.  Shall 
we  take  a  walk  in  the  public  gardens  ?   By  all  means  I 


LESSON  XXXVII 
PREPOSITIONS 

221.  The  Simple  Prepositions,  a.  The  simple  prepositions 
a,  con,  da,  di,  in,  and  per  should  as  a  rule  be  repeated  before 
every  noun  or  pronoun  which  they  govern. 

Ne  ha  dato  a  Giovanni  e  a  Luigi        He  gave  some  to  John  and  Louis 
Parlarono  di  te  e  di  me  They  spoke  of  you  and  me 

&.  The  prepositions  contro,  dentro,  dope,  oltre,  prfsso,  sfnza, 
sopra,  sotto,  su,  vf rso,  and  sometimes  fra,  take  di  before  a 
personal  pronoun. 

Non  parta  s^nza  di  me  Do  not  leave  without  me 

Arrival  dopo  di  lui  I  arrived  after  him 

222.  Compound  Prepositions.  The  great  majority  of  Italian 
prepositions  are  compound,  being  composed  usually  of  an 

232 


PREPOSITIONS  §§  222-223 

adverb  and  a  preposition,  but  sometimes  of  two  prepositions 
together:  fugri  di  'outside,'  intorao  a  'around.' 

Su  per  le  vie  Up  and  down  the  streets 

Al  di  dentro  Inside 

a.  The  prepositions  compounded  with  a,  when  governing 
a  pronoun,  drop  a;  the  pronoun  (of.  136,  a)  becomes  con- 
junctive in  the  dative  case. 

Mi  vidi  innanzi  una  sentin^lla  {not  I  saw  in  front  of  me  a  sentinel 

vidi  innanzi  a  me) 

Gli   andai   incpntro  (no/  incontro  I  went  to  meet  him 

a  lui) 

Due  battaglioni  gli  vfngono  sQpra  Two  battalions  came  upon  him 

Cadevagli  p9co  discgsto  Torquato  Torquato  fell  not  far  from  him 

Ci  fa  segno  di  andargli  di^tro  He  makes  a  sign  to  us  to  follow 

him 

b,  Lungi,  lontano,  di8C98to,  meaning  'far/  which  usually  are 
compounded  with  da,  take  di  before  an  adverb. 

Lungi  di  qui  Far  from  here 

Lontano  di  Ik  Far  from  there 

But 

Lontano  dal  c^ntro  Far  from  the  center 

223.  The  Preposition  with  Adjectives,  a.  Many  adjec- 
tives take  di  before  a  noun  of  material,  characteristic,  etc. 

Una  catin^lla  pi^na  d'  acqua  A  basin  full  of  water 

I  monti  neri  di  pini  The  mountains  black  with  pines 

II  senti^ro  ingombro  di  sassi  The  path  cumbered  with  stones 

Others,  which  would  not  take  *of '  in  English,  are 

abbondante  (di)  abundant  (in)  pQvero  (di)  poor  (in) 

ammalato  (di)  ill  (with)  ricco  (di)  rich  (in) 

contento"!    ,.,  ,,   .^.  soddisfatto  (di)  satisfied  (with) 

*        Wdi)  contented  (with)  ^.^    ,:,-^  \  .i.    .  ,-  . 

pago       J  ^    ^  ^        ^  vestito  (di)  clothed  (m) 

233 


§§223-225  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

&.  Many,  such  as  fedele  'loyal,'  pericoloso  'dangerous,' 
pronto  'ready,'  simile  'similar,'  utile  'useful,'  take  a,  as  their 
English  equivalents  'to.' 

c.  A  few,  such  as  alifno  'foreign,'  'averse  (to),*  div^rso 
'different  (from),*  indipendfnte  'independent  (of),*  take  da. 

224.  The  Preposition  with  Verbs,  a.  For  the  use  of 
prepositions  before  infinitives,  cf.  174. 

&.  Many  verbs  which  in  English  are  transitive,  in  Italian 
require  a  preposition  before  their  object,  and  the  reverse  is 
equally  true.  Those  verbs  which  take  a  take  the  conjunctive 
in  the  dative ;  when  the  object  is  a  thing,  the  pronoun  is  ci. 
Ne  is  used  as  the  pronoun  object  of  the  verbs  that  take  di. 

Ubbidisce  al  padre  She  obeys  her  father 

II  principe  succ^sse  al  re  The  prince  succeeded  the  king 

Giocare  alia  pallac9rda  To  play  tennis 

Se  ne  acc9rse  subito  He  perceived  it  immediately 

Ci  d^vo  rinunziare  I  must  give  it  up 

Cambierk  d'  opinione  He  will  change  his  mind 

Domandi  a  Margherita  Ask  Margaret 

Lo  c^rco  I  am  looking  for  it 

La  guardano  They  are  looking  at  her 

Ascoltano  la  musica  They  are  listening  to  the  music 

Non  lo  ammette  .,  It  does  not  admit  of  it 

Ho  sognato  te  I  dreamed  of  you 

I.   Sometimes  the  preposition  is  merely  different. 
Domandano  di  Lei  They  are  asking  for  you 

Pensare  a  una  C9sa  To  think  of  a  thing 

Ci  p^nso  I  am  thinking  of  it 

Ridere  di  una  C9sa  To  laugh  at  a  thing 

Ne  ridevano  tanto  They  laughed  at  it  a  great  deal 

225.  Compound  Nouns.  English  compound  nouns  are 
usually  translated  by  means  of  a  prepositional  phrase. 

234 


PREPOSITIONS  §§  225-226 

a.  If  the  modifying  member  of  the  compound  be  merely 
descriptive,  the  preposition  is  di,  sometimes  a. 

biglietto  di  visita  visiting-card 

galleria  di  cuadri  picture-gallery 

libro  di  scu9la  schoolbook 

libro  di  t^sto  textbook 

a  pr9va  di  bomba  bomb-proof 

orolQgio  a  sv^glia  alarm  clock 

schi9ppo  a  due  canne  double-barreled  gun 

&.  If  it  indicates  means,  the  preposition  is  a. 

barca  a  vela  sailboat 

macchina  a  vapore  steam-engine 

c.  If  it  indicates  purpose,  the  preposition  is  da. 

cani  da  caccia  hunting-dogs 

tazza  da  caff^.    (But  *  tazza  di  coffee-cup 

caff^  '  is  *  cup  of  coffee  ') 
macchina  da  cucire  sewing-machine 

carta  da  l^ttere  letter-paper 

servizio  da  t|  tea-service 

d.  For  the  formation  and  pluralizing  of  Italian  compound 
nouns,  cf.  181. 

226.  List  of  Prepositions,    a,  English-Italian. 

about,  approximately   circa,  pr^sso  a  pQco 

about,  around  intpmo  a,  dintprno  a,  attpmo  a,  per 

about,  concerning   di 

above   sopra 

according  to   secQodo 

across   a  trav?rso 

after   dppo  ;  before  an  infinitive  dppo  di 

against   contra,  contro 

along   lungo 

among   fra,  tra 

as  far  as  fino  a,  sino  a 


§226  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

as  for   per,  in  quanto  a 

as  to   in  riguardo  a,  in  rispftto  a 

at  a 

at  the  rate  of   a  ragi^ne  di 

because  of  a  causa  di,  a  motivo  di,  per  motivo  di,  a  ragipne  di 

before,  in  front  of   davanti  a,  innanzi 

before  {time)    prima  di,  innanzi 

behind   di§tro 

below,  beneath    sptto 

beside,  besides,  in  addition  to   pltre  (a  or  di) 

beside,  next  to   accanto  a 

between   fra,  tra 

beyond   pltre,  al  di  111  di,  di  la  da 

by  {agent)   da 

by  {instrument  or  means)   di 

by,  beside   accanto  a 

by  dint  of   a  fgrza  di 

by  means  of   per  mf  zzo  di 

during   durante 

except  ecc^tto,  fugri  di,  tranne  —^ 

for  per 

for  {with  measure  of  time)   da 

from   da 

from  {used  of  abstract  things,  '  from  that  time,'  '  from  the  beginning ') 

fin  da 
in   in ;    after  a  superlative  di  or  fra 
inside  of   dentro  di 
instead  of   invece  di 
in  the  midst  of   in  m§zzo  a 
into   in 

near  vicino  a,  prf  sso  a 
of   di 

on   su  (sur),  sppra 
on  this  side  of   al  di  qua  di 
on  the  other  side  of  al  di  li  di 
opposite  to   dirimpftto  a,  in  faccia  a 
outside  of   fugri  di 
over   sQpra 

236 


V   beside,  next  to 


PREPOSITIONS  §  226 

through   per,  attrav§rso 

to   a ;    before  the  name  of  a  country  in ;  before  that  of  a  person  da,  a 

toward   v§rso 

under   sotto 

until   fino  a,  sino  a 

with   con 

within,  inside  of   dentro  (di  or  a) 

within,  in  the  course  of  {ti7ne)   fra 

without   s^nza 

without,  outside  of   fugri  di 

h,  Italian-English. 

a,  ad  at,  to 

a  benefizio  di   for  the  benefit  of 

a  causa  di   because  of 

accanto  a 

accQsto  a 

addgsso  a   on,  on  top  of,  on  the  back  of 

a  disp^tto  di   in  spite  of 

ad  onore  di   in  honor  of 

ad  onta  di  in  spite  of 

a  favore  di   in  favor  of 

a  fQrza  di   by  dint  of 

al  di  111  di   beyond 

al  di  qua  di   on  this  side  of 

allato  a  by  the  side  of 

all'  infuQri  di   outside  of 

a  malgrado  di   notwithstanding 

app?tto  a   facing,  opposite 

appi|  di   at  the  foot  of 

a  piQ  di   to  the  advantage  of 

a  ragipne  di   because  of ;  at  the  rate  of 

attorno  a   around,  round  about 

attrav?rso  a   across,  through 

con  with 

contra,  cpntro  (a  or  di)  against 

da   by,  from 

davanti  a   before,  in  front  of 

237 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

dentro  a  {or  di)  within,  inside  of 

di  of 

di^tro  (a  or  di)  behind 

di  1^  da   on  the  other  side  of 

dinanzi  a  in  front  of 

dintprno  a   around 

di  qua  da   on  this  side  of 

dirimp^tto  a   opposite,  facing 

discQsto  a  away  from 

dppo,  dppo  di  after 

durante   during 

eccftto   except 

entro  a   within  {time) 

fin  da   from  {time) 

fino  a   until,  up  to 

fra  between,  among ;  within  {time) 

fugri  di   outside  of 

giusta   according  to,  conformably  to 

in  in,  into 

in  cambio  di  in  exchange  for  > 

in  capo  a  (di)  at  the  end  of,  at  the  head  of 

in  cima  a   at  the  summit  of 

incpntro  a   against 

in  faccia  a   opposite,  facing 

in  fondo  a   at  the  end  of,  at  the  back  of,  at  the  bottom  of 

in  luQgo  di   instead  of 

in  mf  zzo  a   in  the  midst  of 

innanzi  a   in  front  of 

in  quanto  a   as  to 

in  riguardo  a"! 

. .         Y  with  respect  to 
in  nspf  tto  a  J  ^ 

insif  me  a  (con)   together  with 

intprno  a   around 

invece  di   instead  of 

lontano  da  (di)  far  from 

lungi  da  (di)  far  from 

lungo   along 

malgrado  in  spite  of 

238 


PREPOSITIONS 


§§  226-227 


mediante   by  means  of 

merc^   thanks  to 

Qltre  a   beyond 

per    through,  for 

per  mf  zzo  di   by  means  of 

per  motivo  di   because  of 

pr^sso  a   near 

prima  di   before  {time) 

ras^nte  a   close  to,  grazing 

salvo   except 


secondo   according  to 
sfnza   without 
sino  a   up  to 
sopra  (a)   above 
sQtto  (a)   below 
su  (sur)   on 
tra   between,  among 
tranne   except 
v?rso   towards 
vicino  a   near 


227.  Idiomatic  Use  of  Prepositions.  The  correct  use  of 
prepositions  is  one  of  the  most  delicate  and  difficult  things 
in  the  study  of  any  foreign  language.  The  uses  of  a  given 
preposition  overlap,  and  it  is  not  easy  to  determine  the 
limits  of  each.  *To'  and  'from,'  for  example,  may  each  be 
translated  variously,  according  to  the  shade  of  meaning,  by 
a,  di,  or  da.  No  rules  can  be  formulated  in  this  matter, 
practice  and  observation  being  the  only  guides.  A  careful 
reading  and  rereading  of  the  examples  assembled  below 
will,  however,  show  which  is  the  preposition  to  be  used  in 
a  good  many  typical  cases. 

a.  Phrases  with  a,  meaning  'at,'  'by,*  'from,'  'in,'  'of/ 
'on,'  'to,'  'with,'  'within.' 


A  bocca  ap^rta 

A  bordo 

Al  buio 

A  capo  chino 

A  che  C9sa  p^nsa  ? 

Al  chiaro  di  luna 

A  contanti 

A  cQttimo 

A  danaro  sonante 

Alia  d^stra,  alia  sinistra 

A  due  per  due 


With  open  mouth 

On  board 

In  the  dark 

With  bowed  head 

Of  what  are  you  thinking  ? 

By  moonlight 

In  cash 

By  the  piece,  piecework 

In  cash 

To  the  right,  to  the  left 

Two  by  two 


239 


§227 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


A  due  per  V9lta 

A  giornata 

Alia  giornata,  vivere 

All'  ingrgsso 

A  macchina 

A  mano 

Al  mare 

A  mente 

A  migliaia 

A  minuto 

A  m9do  suo 

A  nglo,  prf  ndere  or  dare 

A  9lio 

A  ora 

A  orecchio 

Alia  pi9ggia 

A  portata  di  mano 

A  p9sta 

A  che  pr9  ? 

Al  sole 

A  volo 

A  V9lta  di  corri^re 

La  m9rte  lo  rapiva  alia  famiglia 

La  riconosco  alia  voce,  al  color  dei 

capelli 
L'  ho  sentito  dire  a  degli  altri 
Ai  t§mpi  di  cui  parlo 
La    min^stra    sembra    bu9na    al- 

1*  odore 


Two  at  a  time 

By  the  day 

To   live   from   day  to  day,  from 

hand  to  mouth 
At  wholesale 
By  machine 
By  hand 
By  the  sea 
By  heart 
By  thousands 
At  retail 

In  one's  own  way 
To  rent  or  let 
In  oils 
By  the  hour 
By  ear 
In  the  rain 

Within  reach  of  one's  hand 
On  purpose 
To  what  end  ? 
In  the  sun 
On  the  wing 
By  return  mail 

Death  took  him  from  his  family 
I  recognize  her  by  her  voice,  by 

the  color  of  her  hair 
I  have  heard  it  said  by  others 
At  the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking 
The  soup  seems  good  by  the  odor 

of  it 


h.  Phrases  with  da,  meaning  'as,'  *at/  'at  the  house  of,' 
'by,'  'characteristic  of,'  'for,'  'from,'  'like,'  'on,'  'such  as 
to,'  'to,'  or  'with.' 


Da  padre 

Dalla  parte  n9stra 

L|ttere  da  casa 


Like  a  father 
On  our  side 
Letters  from  home 


240 


PREPOSITIOiNS 


§227 


Materiale  da  costruzione 

Vini  da  pasto 

Ha  una  famiglia  da  mantenere 

Vede     il     bambino     dai     capelli 

ricciuti  ? 
Dim9ra  da  n9stro  cugino 
Passi  dalla  p9Sta 
Non  VU9I  fssere  da  meno   degli 

altri 
Si  crede  da  piil  degli  altri 
La  chi^sa  ha  tutto  da  guadagnare, 

nulla  da  pf  rdere 
Non  dipf  nde  da  lui 
Fa  da  intf  rprete 
Abbiamo    sostenuto   da    soli    una 

dura  gu^rra 
Non  e  da  dimenticare 
£  organizzatp  in  m9do  da  stimo- 

lare  le  energle  indiyidue 
Non  sembra  C9sa  da  vergognarsi 

Lo  guardano  dall'  alto  in  basso 

Va  da  s^ 

Non  mi  s^nto  da  tan  to 

Non  h  da  tutti 

Dei  francobolli  da  di^ci  centf  simi 


Construction  materials 

Table  wines 

He  has  a  family  to  maintain 

Do  you  see  the  child  with  curly 

hair? 
He  lives  at  our  cousin's 
Stop  at  the  post  office 
He  does  not  wish  to  be  inferior  to 

others 
He  thinks  himself  superior  to  others 
The  church  has  everything  to  gain 

and  nothing  to  lose 
It  does  not  depend  on  him 
He  acts  as  interpreter 
We  have  carried  on  by  ourselves 

a  hard  war 
It  is  not  to  be  forgotten 
It   is    organized  in  a  manner  to 

stimulate  individual  efforts 
It  does  not  seem  to  be  a  thing  to 

be  ashamed  of 
They  look  down  on  him 
It  goes  without  saying 
I  do  not  feel  equal  to  so  much 
Not  every  one  is  capable  of  it 
Some  ten-centime  postage  stamps 


c.  Phrases  with  di,  meaning  'at,'  'by,'  'from,'  'in,'  'of,' 
to,'  or  'with.' 


Di  corsa 

Di  giorno,  di  n9tte 

Di  giorno  in  giorno 

D'  estate 

Di  gennaio 

Fugri  d'  uso 

Piu  lungo  di  due  m^tri 

Prfndere  di  mira 

Di  seconda  mano 


At  a  run,  on  the  run 
By  day,  by  night 
From  day  to  day 
In  summer 
In  January 
Out  of  date 

Longer  by  two  meters 
To  take  aim  at 
At  second  hand 


241 


§227 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


La  strada  di  Fir^nze 
Rideva  di  gi9ia 
Fu  punito  di  m9rte 
Che  facesti  delle  f^rbici? 

d.  Phrases  with  in,  per, 

In  capelli 

In  casa 

In  chi^sa 

In  mare 

In  punta  di  pi^di 

Andare  in  Francia 

Tenere  in  pQCO  conto 

Per  mare,  per  t^rra 

Per  la  pgsta 

Per  la  strada 

Lo  sceglie  per  amico 

Sui  libri,  sui  giornali 

Tre  m^tri  su  s?i 

Su  misura 

Due  su  tre 

La  camera  guarda  sui  davanti 


The  road  to  Florence 

She  laughed  for  joy 

He  was  punished  with  death 

What  did  you  do  with  the  scissors  ? 

and  su. 

Bare-headed 

At  home 

To  church 

At  sea 

On  tiptoe 

To  go  to  France 

To  consider  of  small  importance 

By  land,  by  sea 

By  mail 

In  the  street,  on  the  way 

He  chooses  him  as  a  friend 

In  books,  in  the  newspapers 

Three  meters  by  six 

To  order 

Two  out  of  three 

The  room  is  on  the  front 


1 .  Notice  that  '  to '  before  the  name  of  a  person  is  da  (or  a) ; 
before  that  of  a  country,  in ;  and  before  that  of  any  other  place,  a. 
Va  da  Maria,  in  Italia,  alia  P9sta        He  goes  to  Mary's,  to  Italy,  to  the 

post-office 
Va  a  Maria  He  goes  to  Mary 

2.  'From,'  with  a  word  referring  to  a  place,  is  di  when  the 
limits  of  the  place  are  more  strictly  conceived,  otherwise  da.  If 
the  article  is  present,  da  is  required. 

Esce  di  chi^sa  He  is  coming  out  of  church 

V^ngo  da  chi^sa  I  am  coming  from  church 

Vi^ne  di  Fir^nze  He   comes   from    Florence  (from 

within  the  very  walls) 
Vi§ne  da  Fir^nze  He  comes  from   Florence,  or  its 

vicinity 

242 


PREPOSITIONS 


§227 


He  died  from  hunger 
He  comes  from  Germany 


Mori  di  fame,  dalla  fame 

Vi^ne  di  Germania  or  da  Germania 

But 

Vi^ne  dall'  Alta  Bretagna  He  comes  from  Upper  Brittany 

(because  the  modifying  word  requires  the  article,  and  the  article 
requires  da). 

VOCABULARY 


1'  ambizipne/l  ambition 

AristQtile  Aristode 

11  duQmo  cathedral 

la  gondola  gondola 

il  lago  lake 

1'  operaio  m.  workman 

la  parte  side,  share 

il  piattino  da  tazza  saucer 

11  rf  mo  oar 

la  sarta  dressmaker 

la  scala  a  chiQcciola  winding  stair 

la  scala  a  piugli  ladder 

lo  spedale  hospital 

il  t|  tea 

1'  unitHy!  union,  unity 

adriatico  Adriatic 
drammatico  dramatic 
fino  fine 

occidentale  western,  west 
pi^no  full 

cadere,  cadr^,  caddi,  caduto  fall 
ridere,  risi,  riso  laugh 
salire,  salgo  (salghiamo),  salii  or 
salsi,  salito  climb,  go  up 


addQsso  a  on  the  back  of,  on  the 

top  of 
dentro  di  within,  inside  of 
diftro  a  behind 
di   U   da    beyond,  on  the   other 

side  of 
dinanzi  a  before,  in  front  of 
di  qua  da  on  this  side  of 
discQsto  a  away  from 
fin  da  from  (time) 
fino  a  up  to,  until 
in  faccia  a  opposite 
in  fpndo  a   at  the  back  of,  at  the 

bottom  of,  at  the  end  of 
in  m^zzo  a  in  the  middle  of 
lontano  da  far  from 

a  capo  chino  with  bowed  head 

a  contanti  in  cash 

a  CQttimo  by  the  piece 

a  giornata  by  the  day 

a  mano  by  hand 

al  mare  by  the  sea 

di  seconda  mano  at  second  hand 

in  mare  at  sea 

indarno  in  vain 


243 


§227  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

EXERCISE 
I 

I.  Bring  me  a  teacup,  child,  and  two  saucers.  2.  They  both 
work :  she  has  a  sewing-machine  and  works  at  home,  and  he  works 
by  the  day  at  the  baker's.  3.  The  Spaniard  was  coming  behind 
us,  with  his  head  bowed.  4.  See  how  fine  this  lace  is !  It  is  made 
by  hand.  5.  They  are  all  against  me.  6.  Where  is  the  cathedral? 
We  were  near  it  just  now.    Now  we  are  two  miles  away  from  it. 

7.  Are  we  far  from  the  walls  ?    No,  the  walls  are  not  far  from  here. 

8.  They  will  not  be  able  to  do  without  us.  9.  At  first  the  Italians 
dreamed  in  vain  of  independence  and  unity.  10.  You  will  arrive 
after  us.  11.  His  theme  was  the  dramatic  unities  of  Aristotle. 
12.  Winding  stairs  are  easier  to  climb  than  ladders.  13.  Here 
there  is  nothing  to  sell.  14.  Sailboats,  steamboats  and  rowboats 
were  following  the  gondolas.  15.  Who  are  the  gentleman  with  the 
white  hair  and  the  lady  with  the  blue  eyes  ?  1 6.  The  soldiers  were 
falling  on  top  of  us.  17.  On  which  side  of  the  lake  do  you  live? 
18.  We  live  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  19.  I  prefer  to  live  on 
this  side  of  it.  20.  Are  you  acquainted  with  the  hospital  for  chil- 
dren ?  Our  house  is  opposite  it.  2 1 .  How  long  shall  you  stay  ? 
From  the  first  of  April  to  the  eleventh  of  May.  22.  The  dress- 
maker is  in  the  middle  of  the  city,  at  the  end  of  Via  Roma.  23.  By 
dint  of  money  one  can  do  much. 

II 

I.  They  live  outside  the  gates.  I  thought  they  lived  inside. 
2.  As  we  were  coming  out  of  church,  they  passed  us,  coming  from 
home.  3.  We  spent  two  months  by  the  sea,  near  one  of  the  Adri- 
atic ports.  4.  That  is  a  thing  to  remember.  .5.  We  were  not  able 
to  have  the  criminal  imprisoned.  6.  I  bought  these  books  at 
second  hand;  I  shall  pay  for  them  to-morrow  in  cash.  7.  Wait 
for  us  inside  the  church.    8.  Children  obey  their  parents.   9.  Come 

244 


PREPOSITIONS  §  227 

to  our  house,  all  of  you,  at  twenty  minutes  before  five.  lo.  He 
spoke  these  terrible  words  before  her  and  me.  1 1 .  Do  not  look  at 
these  pictures;  they  are  ugly.  12.  He  will  change  his  mind  and 
renounce  his  ambitions.  13.  Instead  of  sending  it  to  us  now,  he 
will  bring  it  to  us  when  he  comes  to  Florence.  14.  Those  work- 
men are  working  by  the  piece.  15.  Look  for  us  outside  the 
cathedral,  on  the  west  side.  16.  The  lakes  are  full  of  water  at  this 
season.  17.  The  prisoner  stood  before  him.  18.  You  cannot  do 
without  it.  19.  They  were  laughing  at  us.  20.  We  were  two 
weeks  at  sea.  2 1 .  I  have  received  by  mail  some  letters  from  home. 
22.  Some  ladies  are  here  who  are  asking  for  you.  23.  You  cannot 
give  it  up.    24.  We  always  spend  a  month  by  the  sea  in  summer. 

DIALO6O 
DALLA  MODISTA 

—  Vuol  accompagnarmi  dalla  modista  ? 

—  Volentieri.    Dove  sta  ? 

—  Vicino,  a  due  passi.    Nella  prima  via  a  destra,  numero  20. 

—  Gik  vedo  il  suo  cartello :  Sorelle  Chiarini.  Cappelli  da  Si- 
gnore.    Entriamo. 

—  Buon  giorno,  Signore.    Che  cosa  mi  comandano  ? 

—  lo  non  voglio  niente,  ma  questa  signora  desidera  un  cappello 
da  viaggio.  Non  e  pratica  di  Firenze  e  le  ho  detto  che  Lei  la 
servirk  bene. 

—  Grazie,  Signora.  Proverb  di  meritare  la  Sua  raccomandazione. 

—  Ci  faccia  vedere  dei  figurini. 

—  Siamo  a  mezza  stagione.    Lo  desidera  di  paglia  o  di  feltro  ? 

—  Di  feltro,  di  forma  piccola. 

—  Le  mostrerb  prima  dei  fondini.    Eccone  uno.    Proviamolo. 

—  Non  mi  piace.  La  tesa  b  troppo  larga  e  il  capino  troppo 
tondo.    Mi  stringe  alia  fronte,  mi  dark  mal  di  testa. 

245 


§  228  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

—  Questo  Le  starebbe  bene,  mi  pare. 

—  Mi  sta  bene,  davvero.  Solo  sarebbe  un  po'  sfacciato  per  il 
colore.    Per  il  viaggio  ci  vuole  qualcosa  di  piii  modesto. 

—  Ecco  la  stessa  forma  di  un  colore  piu  scuro. 

—  Benissimo.    E  la  guarnizione  ? 

—  Per  guarnizione,  Signora,  io  direi  un  fiqcco  di  nastro  di  seta 
nera,  ovvero  una  piccola  fantasia.  Con  questa  forma  non  sta  bene 
la  piuma. 

—  Preferisco  il  fiocco.    Quando  sark  finito  ? 

—  Per  domani. 

—  Vabbene.  Badi  di  non  mancare,  io  parto  alle  sette  della 
mattina  seguente. 

—  Non  abbia  paura.    L'  avra  senza  fallo.    A  rivederla,  Signora. 


LESSON  XXXVIII 
AUGMENTATIVES  AND  DIMINUTIVES 

228.  Augmentatives  and  Diminutives.  Terminations  modi- 
fying the  meaning  of  nouns  and  adjectives  are  very  common 
in  Italian,  and  with  nouns  may  take  the  place  of  the  corre- 
sponding adjective  at  the  will  of  the  speaker,  unless  the 
idea  of  size  is  to  be  emphasized.  These  terminations  are 
augmentative  or  diminutive,  caressing  or  disparaging,  most 
diminutives  combining  with  the  idea  of  small  size  that  of 
affection  or  disparagement. 

a.  The  most  important  augmentatives  are  -one,  -a,  -gtto,  and 
-gccio. 

I.  -One  means  'very  large,' and  it  may  be  masculine  even  when 
added  to  a  feminine  noun  ;  but  it  has  a  feminine  form  in  adjectives, 

246 


AUGMENTATIVES  AND  DIMINUTIVES        §  228 


abstract  nouns,  and  those  describing  persons  as  to  age  or  family 
relationship. 

Una  d9nna ;  un  don  none  {burl.) 
Un  u9mo  ;  un  omgne 
Una  strada ;  uno  stradpne 
Una  figliu9la ;  una  figliolona 

Una  v^cchia ;  una  vecchiona 


A  woman  ;  an  enormous  woman 

A  man  ;  a  large  man 

A  road ;  a  highway 

A  little  daughter;  a  tall,  or  over- 
grown, little  daughter 

An  old  woman;  a  very  tall  old 
woman 


2.  -Otto,  -occio,  mean  'rather  large'  with  nouns,  and  with  ad- 
jectives modify  the  meaning  like  'rather.'  With  names  of  animals, 
-otto  is  a  diminutive  meaning  the  young  of  the  species. 

Una  casa ;  un  casgtto  A  house ;  a  somewhat  large  house 

Grasso ;  grassgtto  or  grassgccio  Fat ;  plump 

La  tigre ;  il  tigrgtto  The  tiger ;  the  tiger's  cub 

&.  The  most  important  diminutives  are  -ino  (-cino,  -icino, 
-olino),  meaning  diminutiveness,  charm,  and  affection ;  -etto 
and  -fllo  (-c^llo,  -erfllo,  -icfllo),  implying  compassion  or  indul- 
gence in  addition  to  the  idea  of  small  size ;  -uccio,  -uzzo, 
-uzzolo,  -U9I0  (-9I0),  which  imply  endearment  when  applied  to 
persons  and  disparagement  when  applied  to  things ;  and 
-accio,  -astro,  and  -azzo,  which  are  terms  of  unqualified  dislike 
and  disparagement. 


La  mano ;  la  manina 
La  p9vera ;  la  poverina 

La  casa ;  la  casuccia 

La  vi9la ;  il  violino 

II  figlio  ;  il  figliuQlo 

Cantare;  cantarellare 

Bello;  bellino 

Caro ;  carino 

Un  mf dico ;  un  medicastro 


The  hand ;  the  pretty  little  hand 
The  poor  woman ;  the  poor  dear 

woman,  the  poor  thing 
The  house ;  the  poor  little  house 
The  viol ;  the  violin 
The  son ;  the  young  son 
To  sing ;  to  warble 
Beautiful;  pretty 
Dear;  charming 
A  doctor ;  a  poor,  unskillful  doctor 


247 


§§228-229  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

II  cavallo ;  il  cavallaccio  The    horse ;     the    bad-tempered, 

wretched  horse 

L'  asino;  1'  asin?llo  The  donkey;  the  small,  or  young, 

donkey 

229.  Rules  of  Formation.  These  terminations  cannot  be 
used  indiscriminately,  but  must  be  chosen  in  accordance 
with  precedent  and  euphony.  The  ear  is  a  sufficient  guide 
in  this  matter  to  the  ItaHan,  but  the  foreigner  must  use 
great  discretion  and  will  find  it  safest  to  confine  himself  to 
forms  he  has  met  with. 

a.  If  the  normal  ending  of  a  word  chance  to  be  one  of 
these  terminations,  then  not  that  one  but  some  other  must 
be  chosen  as  diminutive  or  augmentative. 

II  rusc§llo ;  il  ruscelletto  The  brook ;  the  small  brook 

L'  ucc^Uo ;  r  uccellino  The  bird ;  the  young  bird 

La  cugina ;  la  cuginetta  The  cousin ;   the  attractive  little 

cousin 

b.  If  the  word  end  in  -one,  the  terminations  -one,  -ino,  and 
-ello  become  respectively  -clone,  -cino,  and  -cello. 

II  bastone ;  il  bastoncione  The  stick ;  the  great  stick 

II  padrone  ;  il  padroncino  The  master ;  the  young  master 

II  violone  ;  il  violoncello  The  bass  viol ;  the  violoncello 

c.  These  terminations  may  be  combined. 

Un  pochino,  un  pochettino  A  little  bit 

Un  figliuQlo ;  un  figliolino  A  little  son  ;  a  dear  litde  son 

d.  The  augmentative  or  diminutive  sometimes  loses  its 
character  of  termination,  and  the  modification  becomes  a 
permanent  new  word. 

L'  acqua ;  1'  acquerf  llo  Water ;  the  water-color 

La  su9ra ;  la  sor§lla  The  nun  ;  the  sister 

II  frate ;  il  frat^Uo  The  friar ;  the  brother 

II  cavallo ;  il  cavalletto 

248 


AUGMENTATIVES  AND  DIMINUTIVES        §  229 

VOCABULARY 

il  bastone  cane,  stick  grasso  fat 

il  cane  dog  ignorante  ignorant 

la  facoltll  division  of  university  sapi^nte  wise,  sapient 

11  sal^tto  sitting-room  annoverare  enumerate,  count 

la  scala  stairs  p^rgere,  pgrsi,  p^rto  hold  out 

lo  scalino  step  of  stair  presiimere,  presunsi,  presunto  as- 
Tommaso  Thomas  sume 

1'  university  y^  university  oramai  now,  in  view  of  this 

in  salvo  in  safety 

EXERCISE 

I 
I .  In  Italia  lo  studio  della  medicina  dura  sei  anni ;  a  New  York, 
tre  o,  al  piu,  quattro.  2.  Quali  sapientoni  di  medici  devono  uscire 
dalle  universitk  americane !  3.  Ma  in  Italia  i  due  primi  anni  della 
Facoltk  medica  sono  esclusivamente  dedicati  alio  studio  delle 
scienze  naturali.  4.  Nelle  universitk  americane,  invece,  si  presume 
che  il  giovane  che  vuole  entrare  in  una  Facoltk  di  medicina  abbia 
gik  di  queste  materie  quelle  nozioni  che  oramai  fanno  quasi  parte 
della  cultura  generale.  5.  In  Italia  non  trovate  una  cittaduzza  di 
diecimila  abitanti  che  non  abbia  I'onore  di  annoverare  entro  le  sue 
mura  qualche  dozzina  di  avvocantucci  e  di  medicastri.  6.  La  fami- 
glia  reale  ha  dovuto  fuggire,  per  mettere  in  salvo  i  principini.  7.  Un 
grand'  artista  fiorentino,  il  quale  morl  giovane,  h  conosciuto  ai 
PQsteri  sotto  il  nome  di  Masaccio,  cioe,  Cattivo  Tommaso  !  8.  Non 
si  pub  confrontare  la  mia  casuccia  con  quel  palazzone !  9.  Come 
sta,  amico  mio  ?  Benone  !  10.  I  canini  giuocano  coi  gattini. 
II.  Ho  comprato  qualche  cosuccia  per  la  bambina. 

II 

I .  As  one  enters  the  hall,  there  is  a  stairway  which  leads  upstairs 
to  the  drawing-room,  with  a  sitting-room  next  it.  2.  The  steps 
of  the  stairs  are  rather  high.    3.  The  young  man  has  a  cane,  and 

249 


§229  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

his  little  brother  has  a  little  cane.  4.  Her  father  is  fat,  and  she  is 
already  plump.  5.  We  shall  take  the  big  dog  with  us,  and  leave 
the  puppies  at  home.  6.  Unskillful  poets  are  not  to  be  praised. 
7.  The  little  peasant  boy  carries  a  great  stick.  *8.  These  horrid 
big  books  are  heavy  to  carry.  9.  She  has  small  hands.  10.  My 
little  son,  you  will  one  day  be  a  big  man  like  me.  1 1.  We  live  near 
the  great  gate.  12.  The  baby  put  out  its  little  hands  to  us.  13.  Iji 
the  Italian  universities  are  found  many  students. 

DIALOGO 
SI  FANNO  LE  COMPRE 

—  Vuol  venire  con  me  fino  al  centro  ?  Ho  tante  commissioni 
da  fare. 

—  Volentieri. 

—  Strada  facendo,  ci  fermeremo  dal  gioielliere,  dove  ho  lasciato 
il  mio  orologio  per  farlo  riparare.  Non  va  bene.  Un  giorno  va 
troppo  avanti,  un  altro  giorno  troppo  indietro.  Non  va  mai  giusto. 
In  questo  momento  fa  cinque  minuti  il  giorno. 

—  Anch'  io  voglio  andarci.  Devo  lasciare  il  mio  fermaglio  da 
raccommodare.  Non  si  chiude  bene,  e  la  pietra  non  e  incassata  a 
dovere. 

—  Poi  andremo  dal  merciaio,  dove  ho  bisogno  di  comprare 
tante  cosine.  Prima  vorrei  un  metro  di  seta  uguale  a  questo 
campione.  Poi  occorre  tutta  la  roba  da  cucire,  per  un  astuccio  da 
viaggio  che  voglio  preparare  per  un'  amica.  Comprero  un  paio  di 
forbicini,  degli  aghi  di  diverse  grossezze,  dei  rocchetti  di  cotone 
e  di  seta,  un  ditale,  e  degli  spilli  e  dei  ganci.  £  tanto  comodo 
viaggiando  di  poter  trovare  tutto  1'  occorrente  in  caso  di  bisogno. 

—  Al  ritomo  passiamo  dal  cartolaio,  per  prendere  della  carta 
protocQllo  della  quale  mi  servo  per  copiare. 

— Io  ho  bisogno  dell'  inchiostro  per  la  penna  a  serbatoio,  della 
carta  da  lettere,  e  della  cartasuga. 

250 


CONJUNCTIONS  AND  INTERJECTIONS        §  230 

—  La  carta  come  la  compra  ?    Sciqlta  o  in  scatola  ? 

— ^  Sempre  sciolta.  Non  mi  piace  quella  in  scatola ;  ce  ne  danno 
meno,  e  non  e  sempre  di  buon  gusto.  Mi  occorre  anche  un  pac- 
chetto  di  buste  assortite  colla  carta,  e  non  ci  sara  ajtro  da  fare. 

LESSON  XXXIX 

CONJUNCTIONS  AND  INTERJECTIONS 

230.  Conjunctions.  The  conjunctions,  like  the  preposi- 
tions, are  frequently  compound.  The  following  lists  are 
offered  for  ready  reference  in  translation.  The  Italian- 
English  list  is  much  the  longer,  the  English-Italian  being 
confined  to  the  more  common  conjunctions  which  the  stu- 
dent will  find  useful.  Those  which  require  the  subjunctive 
are  indicated. 

a.  List  of  Conjunctions,  English-Italian. 

after  dopo  che 

also   anche,  pure 

although   bench^,  sebb^ne  (w.  sudj.) 

and   e 

as,  since  poich^,  siccQme 

as  {offer  tanto)  quanto ;  (offer  tale)  quale ;  (offer  cosi)  cpme 

as  if   come  se,  quasi,  quasi  che  (tv.  sudj.) 

as  fast  as   via  via  che 

as  long  as  tanto  che,  fintantoch^ 

as  well  as   come  anco 

because   perch^,  perciocch^ 

before  avanti  che,  prima  che  (w.  subj.) 

both  .  .  .  and   e  .  .  .  e 

but  ma ;  but  if  che  se 

but  rather,  but  indeed   bensi 

either  ...  or   9  .  .  .  o 

even  if  anche  se ;  ancorch^,  quando  anche  (w.  subj) 

251 


§  230  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

except  that   se  non  che,  tranne  che  (w.  subj.) 

for   ch^,  poich^ 

granting  that  dato  che,  s?mpre  che  (w.  subj.) 

however,  nevertheless   per^,  pure,  tuttavia 

however  [before  adj.  or  adv.)  per  quanto,  quantunque  {w.  subj.) 

if  se 

if  only   splo  che,  purch^  {w.  subj.) 

in  case   caso  mai,  nel  caso  che  [w.  subj.) 

in  order  that   acciocch^,  afflnch^,  perch^  (w.  subj.) 

in  spite  of  the  fact  that   malgrado  che  {w.  subj.) 

much  less   non  che  {w.  subj.) 

neither  .  .  .  nor   n^  .  .  .  n^ 

nevertheless   per^,  tuttavia,  nondimeno,  ci^  non  ostante 

nor  .  .  .  either   nemmeno,  neppure 

nor  even   neanche,  neppure 

not  to  say  .  .  .  but  even   non  che  .  .  .  ma 

notwithstanding  that    nonostante  che,  malgrado  che  {w.  subj.) 

on  condition  that   a  patto  che,  a  condizione  che  (w.  subj.) 

or   0 

or  else  oppure,  ossia  {equivalence),  owero  {difference) 

provided  that   purch^  {w.  subj.) 

rather  than   piutt^sto  che 

since  {causal)   poich^,  siccome,  giacch^ 

since  {temporal)   dacch^ 

so,  so  then   dunque 

so  that,  in  order  that   perch^,  afEinch^,  acciocch^  {w.  subj.) 

so  that  {result)   di  mgdo  ch?,  sicch^ 

supposing  that   posto  che,  supposto  che  {nv.  subj.) 

than   che,  che  non,  di  quel  che   {cf.  115,  &,  c,  d) 

that  che 

that,  in  order  that   perch^  {w.  subj.) 

that  is   cio| 

the  more  as,  the  more  that  tanto  pih  che 

then,  accordingly   dunque 

therefore   perci^,  per5,  dunque,  adunque 

though    see  although 

too   anche,  pure 

unless   sf  nza  che,  a  meno  che  non  {w.  subj.) 

252 


CONJUNCTIONS  AND  INTERJECTIONS       §  230 

until   finch^  npn 

when   quando 

whence   dpnde 

where   dove,  Ik  dpve,  pve 

whereas   considerando  che 

wherefore   onde  ("w.  subj.\  per  I9  che 

wherever   dovunque  (w.  subj.) 

whether   se,  sia,  sia  che 

while   mentre,  mentre  che 

yet  nondimeno,  tuttavia,  per^,  pure,  nuUadimeno 

h.  List  of  Conjunctions,  Italian-English. 

acci^,  acciocch^  {w.  subj.)   so  that,  in  order  that 

a  condizipne  che  {w.  subj.)  on  condition  that 

adunque   then,  so  then 

affinch^  {w.  subj.)  in  order  that 

a  mano  a  mano  che   proportionately  as,  as  fast  as 

a  meno  che  npn  {w.  subj.)   unless 

anche  also 

anche  se   even  if 

ancpra   yet,  still,  again 

ancorchfe  (w.  subj.)  even  if,  although 

anzi  che   rather  that 

a  patto  che  {iv.  subj.)   on  condition  that 

avanti  che  {iv.  subj.)   before 

awegna  che  (w.  subj.)   although 

bench^  {iv.  subj.)   although 

bensi   but  rather,  nay  indeed 

caso,  caso  mai  {iv.  subj.)   in  case 

che   that 

che,  che  npn   than 

chfe   for 

cio|   that  is 

ci^  non  ostante   notwithstanding 

come   as,  as  it  were 

come  anco   as  well  as 

cpme  se  {w.  subj.)   as  if 

conciossiach^   although 

253 


230  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

considerando  che   whereas 

cpn  questo  che  {w.  subj.)   notwithstanding  that 

cosi   as  {after  come) 

dacch^   since  {temporal) 

dato  che  {w.  subj.)  granting  that 

di  mQdo  che    so  that  {result) 

dpnde   whence 

dopo  che   after 

dovunque  {w.  subj.)  wherever 

dunque    then,  so  then 

e   and 

e  .  .  .  e    both  .  .  .  and 

ecc§tto  che  {w.  subj.)  unless 

finche    as  long  as 

finche  non  until 

fintantoch^    as  long  as 

fuorch^  {w.  subj.)  except  that 

giacch^    since  {causal) 

in  guisa  che    so  as  to 

\k  dpve   where 

laonde   wherefore 

ma   but 

malgrado  che  {w.  subj.)   notwithstanding  that 

mentre,  mentre  che    while 

ne    nor 

ne  .  .  .  ne    neither  .  .  .  nor 

nel  caso  che  {w.  subj.)  in  case 

nemmeno   nor,  nor  .  .  .  either 

neppure   nor,  nor  .  .  .  either 

npn  che  {w.  subj.)   much  less 

non  che  .  .  .  ma    not  to  say  .  .  .  but  even 

nondimeno,  non  perci^,  nulladimeno    nevertheless 

non  ostante  che  {w.  subj.)   notwithstanding  that 

non  splo  .  .  .  ma   not  only  .  .  .  but 

9   or 

9  ...  0    either  ...  or 

pnde  {w.  subj.)  wherefore,  because  of  which,  so  as  to 

oppure,  ossia,  owero   or  else 

254 


CONJUNCTIONS  AND  INTERJECTIONS       §  230 

perche  because ;  {w.  subj.)  in  order  that 

perci^  therefore 

perciocch^  because 

per  I9  che  wherefore,  because  of  which 

per^  however 

perocche  because 

per  quanto  {iv.  subj)  however  {before  adj.) 

piuttQsto  che  rather  than 

poiche  since  {causal) 

PQscia  che  after 

PQsto  che  {w.  subj)  supposing  that 

prima  che  {w.  subj)  before 

purch^  {w.  subj)  provided  that 

pure  however,  also 

quale  as  {after  tale) 

qualpra  {w.  subj)  whenever,  as  often  as 

quando  when 

quando  anche  {w.  subj)  even  if 

quanto  as  {after  tanto) 

quantunque  {w.  subj)  whenever 

quasi,  quasi  che  {w.  subj)  as  if 

se  if 

sebbf  ne  {w.  subj)  although 

secQudoche  according  as 

sfmpreche  {w.  subj)  granting  that 

se  npn  che  except  that 

sf  nza  che  {w.  subj)  unless 

se  pure  {w.  subj)  if  only 

sia,  sia  che  whether 

sicche  so  that  {result) 

siccome  as,  since 

sqIo  che  {w.  subj)  if  only 

supposto  che  {w.  subj)  supposing  that 

tanto  che  as  long  as 

tanto  pill  che  the  more  that 

tranne  che  {w.  subj)  except  that 

tuttavia  however,  anyway 

via  via  che  as  fast  as 

255 


§§  230-231  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

1.  Certain  conjunctions,  as  anche  se,  di  m9do  che,  etc.,  which 
are  usually  followed  by  the  indicative,  are  sometimes  followed  by 
the  subjunctive. 

2.  Questions  and  exclamations  are  introduced  sometimes,  for 
greater  vivacity,  by  o  or  che,  used  pleonastically. 

Dimmi,  Santino,  che  ti  place  piu  Tell  me,  Santino,  do  you  like  fresh 

la  frutta  f resca  o  quella  secca  ?  fruit  better,  or  dried  ? 

0  provatevi  anche  voi !    £  tan  to  Try  it  yourself !    It  is  very  easy 
facile 

0  credete  chi  ci  fosse  ?  Now  who  do  you  think  was  there  ? 

3.  A  clause  is  introduced  sometimes  by  si  che,  as  a  strengthen- 
ing or  contrasting  form. 

E  si  che  di  amministrazioni  libere  And  yet  Italian  statesmen  did  not 

agli  U9mini  di  stato  italiani  non  lack    for    examples    of    liberal 

mancavano  es^mpi !  administration  ! 

Se,   per  es^mpio,  il  giovane  leg-  If,  for  example,  the  youth  should 

gesse  un'  orazione  di  Cicerone,  read  a  speech  of  Cicero,  a  few 

alcune  Qdi  di  Orazio,  un  libro  odes  of  Horace,  a  book  of  Vir- 

di  Virgilio  .  .  .  allora  si  che  egli  gil  .  .  .  then  he  would  indeed 

avr^bbe  un'  id^a,  tutt'  altro  che  have  an  idea,  far  from  complete, 

compl^ta,  ma  almeno  rispettabile,  but  at  least  tolerable,  of  classic 

della  letteratura  classica  literature 

4.  The  conjunction  che  is  often  used  alone  in  familiar  speech 
to  mean  'so  that,'  'such  that.' 

Cantavano  ch'  era  un  piacere  They  sang  so  that  it  was  a  delight 

(to  listen) 
Parlava  italiano  ch'  era  un  orrore        He  spoke  Italian  horribly 

231.  Interjections.  The  following  are  the  more  frequent 
interjections  in  Italian  : 

a.  Expressing  joy,  admiration,  enthusiasm,  and  the  like : 

B§ne!  Well!    Good! 

Bravo!   Brava!  Well  done!   Good  for  him  (^r  her)! 

356 


CONJUNCTIONS  AND  INTERJECTIONS        §  231 


Oh  gigia ! 

What  joy !    How  delightful ! 

Viva !    Evviva ! 

Hurrah! 

Beato  te ! 

Happy  you ! 

b.  Grief,  pain,  compassion. 

anger,  and  the  like : 

Ahi!  Ohi!  Deh!  Ahime !  Ohim^! 

Alas! 

Guai! 

Woe!    Beware! 

Peccato  !    Che  peccato ! 

What  a  pity !   What  a  shame ! 

P9vero  a  me ! 

Poor  me 

Oh,  poverino! 

Oh,  the  poor  thing  I 

Pieta! 

Mercy ! 

Dio  ci  aiuti ! 

Heaven  help  us ! 

Oib9!    Vergogna! 

Shame! 

Maledetto!    Diavolo! 

Zounds!   The  deuce! 

c.  Surprise : 

Diamine  !    Per  bacco  ! 

Is  it  possible !    Of  course  I 

Oh  b?lla !    Curioso  ! 

How  strange ! 

Mah!    Mach?!' 

But  — !    How  absurd  ! 

Come  mai ! 

How  in  the  world?    How  can  it 

possibly  be? 

d.  Encouragement: 

Pazi^nza ! 

Have  patience !    Resignation  ! 

Speriamo ! 

Let  us  hope  so ! 

Coraggio !    Animo ! 

Courage ! 

Orsu! 

Come  now ! 

Su! 

Here!    Come! 

e.  Miscellaneous : 

Ecco! 

There!    Exactly! 

Via! 

Come,  come  !    Oh,  come  now ! 

Ben  venuto !   Ben  venuta ! 

Welcome ! 

Largo ! 

Make  way ! 

Magari ! 

Rather !    Would  to  God ! 

Zitto ! 

Hush! 

Chi  lo  sa ! 

Who  knows ! 

Piano ! 

Softly!    Gently! 

257 


§231 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Basta ! 

Al  ladro ! 

Air  armi ! 

Abbasso  la  tirannide ! 

Viva  1'  Italia ! 


Enough ! 

Stop  thief ! 

To  arms ! 

Down  with  tyranny ! 

Long  live  Italy ! 


VOCABULARY 


V  albero  m.  tree,  mast 

la  breccia  breach 

•la  cima  summit 

la  ferita  wound 

la  finzipne  pretense 

LivQino  Leghorn 

il  marinaio  sailor 

la  polvere  powder 

il  rischio  risk 

11  sepolcreto  cemetery 

il  sogno  dream 

lo  strapazzo  abuse,  neglect 

awerare  fulfill 

deplorare  regret 

gridare  shout 

redimere,  red?nsi,  red§nto  redeem 

saltare  in  aria  be  blown  up 


a  meno  che  unless 

a  patto  che  on  condition  that 

a  vic^nda  in  turn ;  mutually 

caso  mai  in  case 

dacch^  since  (fime) 

in  cima  a  on  the  top  of 

malgrado  che  notwithstanding  that 

neppure  not  even 

nondimeno  nevertheless 

piuttQsto  che  rather  than 

poich^  since  (cause) 

prima  che  before 

purch^  provided  that 

siccome  as 

tranne  che  except  that 

irrgdento  unredeemed 


EXERCISE 
I 

ULTIMI  ANNI  BELLA  GUERRA 

Nel  1 866,  alia  battaglia  navale  di  Lissa,  Alfredo  Cappellini  li- 
vornese,  un  erqe  da  paragonarsi  ai  piu  grandi  dell'  antichitk,  piut- 
tosto  che  veder  cadere  nelle  mani  dei  nemici  la  sua  nave,  Talestro', 
dette  fuoco  alle  polveri  e  saltb  in  aria  con  tutti  i  suoi  marinai,  i 
quaU  morirono  gridando  dalle  cime  degli  alberi :    Vzva  V Italia  / 

A  Villa  Gloria  cade  Enrico  Cairoli,  e  vi  resta  malamente  ferito 
Giovanni  CairoH,  il  quale  mor\  poi,  nel  1869.    Nomi  di  una  famiglia 

258 


CONJUNCTIONS  AND  INTERJECTIONS       §  231 

sacra  alia  patria,  di  una  famiglia  che  per  questa  patria  dette  la 
vita  di  quattro  sopra  cinque  che  erano  i  suoi  figli  generosi.  Er- 
nesto muore  combattendo  a  Varese;  Luigi  muore  a  Napoli  per 
gli  strapazzi  della  guerra  del  i860 ;  Benedetto  solo,  carico  di  ferite, 
sopravvive  dopo  tanti  rischi  a  conforto  della  madre.  Onore  alia 
memoria  di  Adelaide  Cairoli,  di  questa  fortissima  donna,  che  dorme 
ora  nel  sepolcreto  di  Groppello,  in  mezzo  a  quel  figli,  che,  educati 
da  lei,  seppero  dare  tanta  gloria  al  loro  nome  e  all'  Italia. 

Oggi,  al  fine,  dopo  tante  fatiche,  tanti  sacrifizi,  e  tanti  martiri, 
eccoci  arrivati  alia  nostra  capitale,  ecco  finalmente  avverato  il  sogno 
di  tanti  secoli !  Ci  saremmo  dovuti  entrare  senza  le  armi,  ma  le 
armi  ci  vollero.  II  20  settembre,  1870,  i  cannoni  dell' esercito  ita- 
liano  tuonavano  dinanzi  alle  mura  di  Porta  Pia.  Breve  fu  la  fin- 
zione  di  resistenza  da  parte  dei  soldati  che  la  difendevano,  e  una 
larga  breccia  apr\  il  passo  nella  cittk  eterna  al  trionfo  dell'  Italia 
redenta. 

Viva  Roma  capitale  d'  Italia  1   Ci  siamo  e  ci  resteremo  1 

II 

I .  The  sailors,  on  top  of  the  masts,  were  awaiting  death.  2 .  Alfred 
Cappellini  of  Leghorn  preferred  to  set  fire  to  the  powder  and  be 
blown  up,  rather  than  let  his  ship  be  taken.  3.  Since  I  have  been 
in  Italy,  the  great  war  has  begun.  4.  Since  they  are  to  arrive  so 
soon,  let  us  not  go  away  before  they  come.  5.  Of  the  sailors  of  the 
ship  '  Palestro  '  not  one  was  left  [remained]  alive.  6.  They  were  all 
blown  up.  7.  Benedetto  Cairoli  saw  his  four  brothers  die  in  the 
war.  8.  Only  he  survived  them.  9.  Unless  many  men  know  how 
to  die  for  their  country,  Italy  can  never  be  united,  i  o.  The  Italian 
soldiers  may  say:  Italy's  dream  of  so  many  centuries  could  not 
have  been  fulfilled  without  us.  11.  Nevertheless,  it  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  arms  were  necessary.  12.  Enrico  was  glad  to  die 
fighting,  provided  that  Italy  might  be  free  and  united.  13.  The 
soldiers  opened  several  breaches  in  the  wails  of  the  city.    14.  Few 

259 


§231  AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

cities  have  survived  longer  than  [more  than]  Rome.  15.  She  has 
survived  in  spite  of  governments  having  been  changed  and  wars 
having  been  fought  [in  spite  of  (the  fact)  that,  notwithstanding 
that,  governments  have  been,  etc.].  16.  Italian  soldiers  and  sailors 
were  glad  to  fight  to  capture  Rome,  on  condition  that  their  sons 
should  know  how  to  defend  it.  17.  For  many  years  this  country 
which  you  see  was  called  by  the  Italians  "  Unredeemed  Italy." 
18.  Here  we  are  arrived  in  that  part  of  Italy  of  which  we  have  so 
often  thought.  19.  The  physicians  ought  to  have  visited  the  sol- 
diers in  the  hospital  before  their  wounds  became  so  dangerous. 
20.  Although  they  were  covered  with  wounds,  the  soldiers  opened 
the  way  into  the  Eternal  City,  crying,  "  Long  live  Italy  1 " 


260 


ALPHABETICAL  LIST  OF  IRREGULAR 
AND  DEFECTIVE  VERBS  (cf.  96,  120, 130) 


acc^ndere,  light,  kindle 

accesi 

acceso 

accludere,  inclose 

acclusi 

accluso 

acc^rgersi,  be  aware 

mi  accijrsi 

acc9rtosi 

addurre,  produce,  convey 

adduce,  adduc^ndo 
addussi,  addurrg 

addgtto 

affliggere,  afflict 

afflissi 

afflitto 

algere,  be  cold 

alsi 

Defective.   Rare 

alludere,  allude 

allusi 

alluso 

andare,  go 

Ind.  pres.  vq  or  vado, 

vai,  va,  andiamo,  andate, 

ann^ttere,  combine 
apparire,  appear 


appartenere,  belong 
appf  ndere,  hang 
applaudire  (applaudere, 

poetical),  applaud 
aprire,  open 

ardere,  bum 
ardire,  be  bold 
arr^ndere,  comply 
arr9gere,  add 
ascondere,  hide 
asp|rgere,  scatter,  sprinkle 


vanno.  Fut.  anderg,  andrQ.  Past  fut.  ander^i 
or  andr^i.  Subj.  vada  etc.,  andiamo,  andiate, 
vadano.    Imp.  va',  andate 

Past  abs.  annettei  or  ann^ssi,  annett^  or  ann^sse, 
etc.   Past  part,  ann^sso 

Ind.  pres.  apparisco  or  appaio,  apparisci  or 
appari,  apparisce  (7r  appare;  (appariamo),  appa- 
rite,  appariscono  or  appaiono.  Past  abs.  apparii, 
apparvi,  apparsi,  etc.  Subj.  apparisca  or  appaia. 
Past  part,  apparito  ^rapparso 

See  tenere 

appesi  appeso 

applaudo,  applaudisco 

Pres.  ind.  apro.  Past  abs.  ap^rsi  t^r  aprii.  Past  part. 

ap^rto 
arsi  arso 

Defective  in  parts  which  are  identical  with  ardere 
See  rendere 

arrQsi  arr9SO  or  arr9to.  Defective.  Rare 

See  nascondere 
asp^rsi  asp^rso 

261 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


assalire,  assail 


assldersi,  besiege 
assistere,  assist 
ass^lvere,  absolve 
assorbire,  absorb 


assumere,  assume 
avere,  have 
avvertire,  warn 


Ind.  pres,  assalgo  or  assalisco,  assali  or  assalisci, 
etc.^  assaliamo  ^rassalghiamo,  assalite,  assalgono 
or  assaliscono,  etc.  Past  abs.  assalii  or  assalsi. 
Subj.  assalga  or  assalisca.    Past  part,  assalito 

mi  assisi  assise 

assistito 

assolvei,  assolv^tti  or  assalsi,  assoluto  or  assglto 

Ind.  pres.  assorbisco  or  ass9rbo  etc.  Subj.  assor- 
bisca  or  assgrba  etc.  Past  part,  assorbito  or 
assQrto 

assunsi  assunto 

See  120 

avv^rto,  avvertisco,  etc. 


benedire,  bless 


bevere  or  bere,  drink 


bollire,  boil 


Past  descr.  benedicevo  or  benedivo  etc.   Past  abs. 

benedissi  or  benedii.    Imp.  benedici  etc.    Past 

part,  benedetto 
Ind.  pres.  bevo  or  beo,  bevi  or  bei,  beve  or  bee, 

bevono  or  beoRO.    Past  abs.  bevvi  or  bev^tti. 

Fut.  beverg  or  berrg 
Pres.  ind.  boUo  etc. 


czdtxQ^fall 
calere,  matter 

capire,  be  contained  in 
c^dere,  yield 
chi^dere,  ask 


chiudere,  close 
cingere,  gird 
circoncldere 
c^gliere  or  cgrre,  pluck 


C9lere,  revere 
comparire,  appear 


caddi,  caduto  Fut.  cadrQ 

J  j^.  (mi)  cale, /<?^/.  caglia,/^^/.  calse,  poet,  caluto. 

Defective.    Impersonal 
3  pers.  cape,  capono 

c^ssi  {poet.)  Regular  in  prose 

Ind.  pres.  i  sg.  chi^do  or  chi^ggo,  j//.  chi^dono, 

chi^ggono.    Past  abs.  chi^si.    Subj.  chi^da  or 

chi^gga,    chiediamo,    chi^dano   or   chifggano. 

Past  part,  chi^sto 
chiusi  chiuso 

cinsi  cinto 

See  decidere 
Ind.  pres.  cglgo,  cggli,  cgglie,  cogli^mo  or  col- 

ghiamo,  cogliete,  cglgono.    Past  abs.  cglsi.  Fut. 

coglierg  or  corrg.   Imp.  cggli.   Subj.  cglga  etc., 

cogliamo  or  colghiamo,  C9lgano,  Past  part,  cglto 
colto  or  culto.  Rare 

See  apparire 

262 


LIST  OF  IRREGULAR  VERBS 


compire  or  compiere, 
fulfill 


comprimere,  compress 
conc|dere,  concede 

concepire,  conceive 
concludere,  conclude 
condurre,  conduct 
conn^ttere,  connect 
conoscere,  be  acquainted 
conquldere,  conquer 
conslstere,  consist 
consumare,  consumere, 
consujne,  finish 

cont^ssere,  entwine 
contundere,  bruise 
convertire,  convert 

corr^ggere,  correct 
correre,  ru7i 

cosp^rgere,  sprinkle 
costringere,  compel 
costruire,  construct 
crescere,  grow 
cucire,  sew 
cu^cere,  cook 


Ind.pres.  compisco  or  compio,  compisci  or  cpmpi, 

etc.  Imp.  compisci  or  compi.  Subj.  compisca  or 

compia  etc. ;    past   compissi  or  compi^ssi  etc. 

Pres.part.  compi^ndo ;  past  compito  or  compiuto 
compr^ssi  compr^sso 

concedei,  conced^tti  or  conc^ssi,  conceduto  or 

conc^sso 
(conc^pe,  conc^pa,  CQXiQ&^^\x\.o.,  poetic  forms) 
See  accludere 
See  addurre 
See  ann^ttere 

conobbi  conosciuto 

conquisi  conquiso  Rare 

See  assistere 
Past  abs.  consumai  or  consunsi,  consuniQ  or  con- 

sunse,  consumarono  or  consunsero.    Past  part. 

consumato  or  consunto 
Part,  cont^sto 

contusi  contuse 

Ind.  pres.  conv^rto  or  convertisco.    Past  abs.  con- 

vertii^rconv^rsi.  Past  part,  convertito,  converse 
See  reggere 
corsi  corso.  Like  correre  are 

accorrere,  decorrere,  percorrere,  etc. 
See  aspergere 
See  stringere 

costruii  or  costrussi  costruito  or  costrutto 

crebbi  cresciuto 

Ind.  pres.  cucio,  cuciono.    Subj.  cucia  etc. 
Ind.pres.  cuQcio,  cupci,  cuqcc,  cu^ciono.  Past  abs. 

CQSsi.    Fut.  cocerg.    Imp.  cuQci.    Subj.  cuQcia 

Past  part.  CQtto 


dare,  give 


decTdere,  decide 


Ind.  pres.  dQ,  dai,  da,  diamo,  date,  danno.  Past 
descr.  davo,  davi,  etc.  Past  abs.  d^tti  or  di^di, 
desti,  d^tte  or  di^de,  demmo,  deste,  df  ttero  or 
dif  dero.  Fut.  darQ.  Imp.  da',  date.  Pres.  subj. 
dia  etc.,  diamo,  diate,  diano ;  past  dessi.  Pres. 
part,  dando  ;  past  dato 

decisi  deciso 

263 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


deludere,  delude 
deprimere,  depress 
desumere,  infer 
diff  ndere,  defend 
dipfndere,  depend 
dipingere,  paint 
dire,  (dicere),  say 


dirlgere,  direct 
discorrere,  converse 
discutere,  discuss 
diss^lvere,  dissolve 
dissuadere,  dissuade 
distinguere,  distinguish 
divertire,  divert 
divldere,  divide 
dolere,  grieve,  pain 


dormire,  sleep 
dovere,  owe 


See  alludere 

See  comprimere 

See  assumere 

difesi  difeso 

dipesi  dipeso 

dipinsi  dipinto 

Ind.  pres.  dico,  dici  or  di',  dice,   diciamo,  dite, 

dicono.    Past  descr.  dicevo  etc.   Past  abs.  dissi. 

P'tit.  d\xq.   Imp.  di',  dite.    Subj.  pres.  dica  etc. ; 

past  dicessi  etc.    Part.  pres.  dic^ndo,  dic^nte  •, 

past  detto.     Compounds  of  dire   have   dici   in 

2  sg.  imp. 


dir^ssi 
See  correre 

discussi 

dissolvei  or  dissQlsi 

See  persuadere 

distinsi 

Ind.  pres.  div^rto  etc. 

divisi 


dir^tto 

discusso 
dissoluto 


distinto 
^^turn  aside^^  regular 
diviso 

htd.  pres.  dQlgo,  dugli,  du^le,  dolghiamo  or  dO' 
gliamo,  delete,  d^lgono.,    Past  abs.  dglsi.    Put. 
dorrg.    Subj.  d^lga.    Past  part,  doluto 
Ind.  pres.  dQrmo.   Subj.  dQrma.  I7np.  d9rmi.  Part. 

pres.  dorm^nte  or  dormi^nte 
Ind.  pres.  d^vo  or  d^bbo  {poet,  d^ggio) ;  d^vi  or 
d§i;    d^ve,   d^bbe    {rare),  or  d^e ;    dobbiamo; 
dovete ;  d^vono  or  d^bbono  {poet,  d^ggiono), 
etc.   Put.  dovrg.    Subj.  d^va  or  df bba 


elldere,  elide 
eludere,  elude 
em^rgere,  emerge 
empire  or  empieTQ,fll 


f  rgere,  erect 
erigere,  erect 


elisi  or  elidei  eliso 

See  alludere 

em^rsi  em^rso 

Ind.  pres.  empio,  empi,  etc.  Past  abs.  empii,  em- 
pi^i,  empi^tti ;  empisti,  empiesti,  etc.  Put.  em- 
pirQ.  Imp.  empi,  empite.  Subj.  empia  etc.;  past 
empissi,  empi^ssi,  etc.  Part.  pres.  empi^ndo ; 
past  empito  or  empiuto. 

^rsi  (a<^'.  ^rto).  Rare  iti prose 

See  dirigere 

264 


LIST  OF  IRREGULAR  VERBS 


escludere,.  exclude 

See  accludere 

esigere,  exact 

esigei 

esatto 

eslmere,  exempt 

esimei     {Past  abs. 

and  past  part,  j 

esistere,  exist 

See  assistere 

espf  Here,  expel 

espulsi 

espulso 

espl^dere,  explode 

esplQsi 

espl9SO 

esprlmere,  express 

See  comprimere 

f ssere,  be 

Seem 

estlnguere,  extinguish 

See  distinguere 

evadere,  escape 

See  invadere 

fare,  (facere),  do^  rnake 


fedire  {defective  and  po- 
etical for  i&r\r€),  strike 
ff  ndere,  split 
ff  rvere,  glow 
flggere,/^ 
fingere,  pretend 
fl|ttere,  bend 
fondere,  melt 
frangere,  break 
inggere,  fry 
fuggire,^^<? 

genufl^ttere,  kneel 
giacere,  lie 


giocare,  play 
gire,  turn 


giungere,  arrive 
godere,  enjoy 

illudere,  illude 
imm|rgere,  immerse 


Ind.pres.  f$  ^rfaccio,  fai,  fa  {poet,  face),  facciamo, 

fate,  fanno.    Past  descr.  facevo  etc.    Past  abs. 

feci.   Put.  far^.   Imp.  fa',  fate.   Subj.  faccia  etc. 

Part.  pres.  fac^nte,  fac^ndo ;  past  fatto 
Ind.  pres.  fi^do,  fi^di,  fi^de,  fif  dono.    Subj.  fi^da, 

fi^dano 
fendei  or  f^ssi  fenduto  or  f^sso 

Defective.    Lacks  compound  tenses  and  past  part. 
fissi  fisso  or  fitto 

finsi  finto 

fl^sso.  Defective.  Poetical 
fusi  fuso 

fransi  franto 

frissi  fritto 

Ind.  pres.  fuggo,  fuggi,  fugge,  etc.    Imp.  fuggfl 

Subj.  fugga  etc. 

genufl^ssi  genufl^sso  Rare 

Ind.  pres.  giaccio,  giaci,  giace,  giacciamo  or  gia- 

ciamo,  giacete,   giacciono.    Past  abs.  giacqui. 

Subj.  giaccia  etc. 
Ind.  pres.  giuQCO,  giuQchi,  etc.    See  rotare. 
Ind.  pres.  and  Imp.  2  pi.  gite.    Past  descr.  givo  etc. 

Past  abs.  gisti,  gimmo,  girono.    Fut.  gir^  {rare). 

Past  part,  gito  Defective 

giunsi  giunto 

Fut.  goder^  or  godr^ 

See  alludere 
See  emergere 

265 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


imprimere,  print 
incldere,  engrave 
includere,  include 
incorrere,  incur 
incutere,  instil 
indulgere 
indurre,  induce 
infocare,  inflame 
inghiottire,  swallow 


inslstere,  insist 
int^ssere,  interweave 
intridere,  knead 
intrudere,  intrude 
invadere,  invade 
ire,  go 

istruire,  instruct 


See  comprimere 

incisi  inciso 

See  accludere 

See  correre 

incutei  or  incussi  incusso 

indulsi  indulto      Poetical.  Rare 

See  addurre 

Ind.  pres.  infuQCO,  infuQchi,  etc.    See  retire. 

Ind.  pres.    inghiottisco    or   inghiotto.    Subj.    in- 

ghiottisca  or  inghiotta  etc.    Imp.  inghiottisci  or 

inghiotti 
See  assistere 

intessuto  or  intesto 
intrisi  intriso 

intrusi  intruso 

invasi  invaso 

Pres.  ind.  ite.    Past  descr.  ivo,  ivi,  etc.    Past  abs. 

isti,  iste,  Irono.    Past  part.  ito.  Poet.    Defective 
See  costruire 


If  dere,  offend 
Ifggere,  read 
iTcere  or  lecere,  allow 
lucere,  shine 


ludere,  play 


l^si  (rare)  l§so 

l^ssi  l^tto 

Past  part,  lecito  or  licito       Impersonal.   Defective 

Ind.  pres.  luci,  luce,  lucono.  Past  descr.  lucevo, 
lucevano.  Stibj.  pres.  luca,  lucano  ;  past  lucessi 
etc.   Pres.  part,  luc^ndo  [adj.  luc^nte).   Defective 

lusi  luso  Rare 


maledire,  curse 
mantenere,  maintain 
mentire,  /z>,  deceive 

mf  rgere,  plunge 
mescere,  mix 
mettere,  put 
m^lcere,  soothe 


riKjrdere,  bite 


See  benedire 

See  tenere 

Ind.  pres.  m^nto,  mentisco.  Subj.  m^nta,  mentisca. 

Imp.  m^nti  etc. 
m^rsi  ni^rso 

misto  or  mesciuto 
misi  or  messi  messo 

Ind.  pres.  niQlci,  mglce.    Past  descr.  molcevo  etc. 

Imp.TC\(^\c\.    SttbJ.  past  molcessi  etc.  Pres.  part. 

molc^ndo  Defective.   Poetical 

m9rsi  mQrso 

266 


LIST  OF  IRREGULAR  VERBS 


morire,  die 


mungere,  milk 
muQvere,  move 

nascere,  be  bom 
nascondere,  hide 
negligere  {cf.  6,  c),  neg- 
lect 
nu^cere,  harm 

nutrire,  nourish 

off^ndere,  offend 
offrire  or  offerire,  offer 

opprlmere,  oppress 
ottenere,  obtain 

parere,  appear 


partire,  leave^  go  away 
patire,  suffer 
pentirsi,  repe^it 

percipere,  perceive 
percuQtere,  strike 


p^rdere,  lose 


permettere,  permit 
persistere,  persist 
persuadere,  persuade 
pervertire,  pervert 


Ind.pres.  muQio,  mugri,  mugre,  moriamo,  monte, 
mu^iono.  Ftct.  morr^,  morirQ.  Imp.  muQri. 
Subj.  muQia,  mgra  {poet.),  moriamo,  moriate  or 
moiate,  mu^iano,  m^rano  {poet.).  Part.  pres. 
mor^nte,  mori^nte  ;  past  mgrto 

munsi  munto 

mgssi  rngsso 


nacqui 
nascosi 
negl^ssi 


nato 

nascosto  or  nascoso 

negl^tto 


Ind.  pres.  nuQCO  or  ngccio,  nu^cono  or  n9Cciono, 

etc.    Past  abs.  riQcqui.    Past  part,  nociuto 
Ind.  pres.  nutro,  nutrisco.    Subj.  nutra,  nutrisca 

offesi  offeso 

Ind.pres.  gffro,  offerisco.  Past  abs.  offers!  <7r  offrii. 

Subj.  gffra,  offerisca.    Past  part,  offfrto 
See  comprimere 
See  tenere 

Ind.  pres.  paio,  pari,  pare,  paiamo,  parete,  paiono. 
Past  abs.  parvi  or  parsi.  Fut.  parrg.  Imp.  lack- 
ing. Subj.  paia  etc.,  paiano.  Past  part,  parse 
or  paruto 

Ind.pres.  parto;  ^"^ share"  partisco 

Rare  forms:  pato,  pad,  pate,  patono ;  p.  part,  passo. 

Ind.  pres.  mi  p^nto  etc.  Imp.  p^ntiti.  Subj.  si 
p^nta  etc. 

Past  part,  perc^tto  Defective.    Rare 

percQssi  percQSSo 

The  diphthong  is  preserved  in  the  ind.  pres.  wher- 
ever the  tonic  accent  falls  upon  the  o. 

p^rsi,  perdei,  or  perd^tti ;  p^rso  or  perduto.  The 
compounds  disperdere  and  sperdere  have  only 
the  irregular  forms . 

See  mettere 

See  assistere 


persuasi 
See  avvertire 


persuaso 


267 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


piacere,  please 


piangere,  weep 
pingere,  push 
-p\^\e.rt{impersonal),rain 
plaudere,  applaud 
p^rgere,  stretch  forth 
porre  {p6nere),//a;<:^ 


possedere,  possess 
potere,  be  able 


precf  dere,  precede 
prediligere,  prefer 
preludere,  prelude 
pr|mere,  crush 
pr^ndere,  take 


presumere,  assume 
produrre,  produce 
profferire,  proffer 
promettere,  promise 
protf  ggere,  protect 
pungere,  prick 


Ind.  pres.  piaccio,  piaci,  place,  piacciamo,  piacete, 
piacciono.  Fastabs.^\zc(\m.  ^?/^'.  piaccia ;  piac- 
ciamo, piacciate,  piacciano.    Fast  part,  piaciuto 

piansi  pianto 

See  dipingere  Rare  in  prose 

pi9vve  piovuto 

See  applaudire  Poetical 

P9rsi  P9rto 

Ind.  pres.  pongo,  poni,  pone,  poniamo  or  pon- 
ghiamo,  ponete,  pongono.  Past  abs.  posi.  Fut. 
porr9.  Imp.  poni.  Subj.  ponga ;  poniamo  or 
ponghiamo,  poniate,  pongano.  Part.  pres.  po- 
n^ndo ;  past  posto 

See  sedere 

Ind.  pres.  PQSSO,  pugi,  puQ,  possiamo,  potete,  p9S- 
sono  (p9nno, /^<f/.).  FtU.  potr9.  Imp.  "wanting. 
Subj.  p9ssa ;  possiamo,  possiate,  pqssano.  Fast 
part,  potuto 

prec^ssi  or  preced^tti        preceduto 

predil^ssi  predil^tto 

See  alludere 

pr^ssi,  premei,  prem^tti 

presi  preso 

Comprendere,  sorprendere,  imprendere,  are  con- 
jugated like  prendere 

presunsi  presunto 

See  addurre 

See  offerire 

See  mettere 

prot^ssi  prot^tto 

punsi  punto 


radere,  shave 
recidere,  sever 
redlmere,  redeem 
redire  or  ri^dere,  return 


rfggere  rule 


rasi  rase 

See  decidere 

red^nsi  red^nto 

Ind.  pres.  ri^do,  ri^di,  ri^de  ;  ri^dono.  Fast  descr. 
redivo.  Fast  abs.  redlrono,  Subj.  {rare)  riedesse 
and  riedessero  Defective.   Poetical 

r^ssi  r^tto 

Compounds  conjugated  like  reggere 

?68 


LIST  OF  IRREGULAR  VERBS 


rf  ndere,  render 

reprimere,  repress 
resistere,  resist 
respingere,  repulse 
richi^dere,  demand 
ridere,  laugh 
ridurre,  reduce 
riflfttere,  reflect 

rifulgere,  shine 
rilucere,  shine 
rimanere,  remain 


riponere,  replace 
risolare,  re-sole 

ris9lvere,  resolve 
rispondere,  reply 
riuscire,  succeed 
rodere,  gnaw 
rompere,  break 
rotare,  turn,  whirl 


resi,  rendei  or  rend^tti ;  reso  or  renduto.    Arr^n- 

dere,  arreso 
See  comprimere 
See  assistere 
See  spingere 
See  chiedere 

risi  riso 

See  addurre 

rifl^ssi  rifl^sso 

Jn  sense  of  "  consider  "  regular 
rifulsi  Part,  wanting 

rilussi  Part,  wanting 

Jnd.pres.  rimango,  rimani,  rimane,  rimaniamo  or 

rimanghiamo,  rimanete,  rimangono.    Past  abs. 

rimasi.     Fitt.    rimarrQ.     Imp.     rimani.     Subj. 

rimanga.    Past  part,  rimasto  or  rimaso 
See  porre.    More  usual  form^  riporre 
risuQlo,  risuQli,  etc. ;  diphthong  occurs  wherever  o 

is  accented 
See  assolvere 

risposi  risposto 

See  uscire 

rosi  roso 

ruppi  rotto 

Ind.  pres.    ruQto,    ruQti,    etc. 

wherever  o   is  accented 


diphthong  occurs 


salire,  go  up  Ind.  pres.  salgo,  sali,  sale,  salghiamo  or  sagliamo, 

salite,  saigono.  Past  abs.  salii  or  salsi.   Imp.  sali. 

Subj.  saiga,  salghiamo,  salgano,  etc.   Past  part. 

salito 
sapere,  know  Ind.  pres.  S9,  sai,  sa,  sappiamo,  sapete,  sanno. 

Past  abs.  s^ppi.    Imp.  sappi,   sappiate.    Subj. 

sappia.   Fut.  sapr^.    Part.  pres.  sapi^nte ;  past 

saputo 
scegliere  (scene), ^,^f?i?j^    Ind.  pres.  scelgo,  scegli,  sceglie,  scegliamo  or 

scelghiamo,  scegliete,  scelgono.  Past  abs.  scelsi. 
«,  Subj.  scelga  etc.   Past  part,  scelto 

scendere,  descend  scesi  sceso 

scfmere,  discern  sc^rsi  or  scernei  Past  part,  wanting 

269 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


sclndere,  sever 

sci9gliere  or  sci9rre, 
loosen 


scolpire,  carve 
sconn^ttere,  disconnect 
scoprire,  discover 
sc^rgere,  perceive 
scrivere,  write 
scu^tere,  shake 


sdrucire,  rip 
sedere,  sit 


sedurre,  seduce 
segmTGf /o//o-w 


sentire,y>^/,  sme// 

seppellire,  inter 
servire,  serve 
sodisfare,  satisfy 


soffolcere,  support 

soffrire,  suffer 

solere  (defective),  be  wont 


scissi  scisso 

Prescindere  has  prescind^tti  also 

Ind.  pres.  sciQlgo,   sci9gli,   sciQglie,    sciogliamo, 

sciogliete,   sci^lgono.     Fast  abs.  sci9lsi.    Fut. 

scioglier9  or  sciorr9.  Imp.  sci9gli.  Subj.  sci9lga. 

Fast  part.  sci9lto 


scolpii  or  poet. 
See  annettere 

sculsi 

scolpito  or  poet,  sculto 

scop^rsi 

sc9rsi 

scrissi 

scop^rto          So  coprire 

sc9rto 

scritto 

sc9ssi 

SC9SS0 

s^lvere^  undo 


Diphthong  VlO  preserved  only  where  the  accent  falls 
on  it 

Ind.  pres.  sdrucio  or  sdrucisco.  Subj.  sdrucia  or 
sdrucisca 

Ind.  pres.  s^ggo  or  si^do,  si^di,  si^de,  sediamo, 
sedete,  s^ggono  or  si|dono.  Fast  abs.  sedei. 
Imp.  si^di.  Stibj.  s^gga  or  si^da,  s|ggano  or 
sif  dano.    Fast  part,  seduto 

See  addurre 

Ind.  pres.  seguo,  segui,  etc.  Subj.  segua  etc.  Imp. 
segui.  Conseguire  in  sense  of  ^^obtaiti,"  regular. 
Eseguire  regular 

Ind.  pres.  s^nto,  s^nti,  etc.  Subj.  s^nta  etc.  Imp. 
s^nti 

sepolto  or  seppellito 

Ind.  pres.  s^rvo,  s^rvi.    Subj.  s^rva.    Imp.  s^rvi 

Ind.  pres.  sodisf9  or  sodisfaccio,  sodisfi,  sodisfa, 
sodisfacciamo,  sodisfate,  sodisfano.  Subj.  so- 
disfi or  sodisfaccia  etc.,  sodisfacciamo,  sodisfac- 
ciate,  sodisfino  or  sodisfacciano.  Imp.  sodisfa, 
sodisfate.   See  fare 

soffolse  soffolto    Defective.  Rare 

See  offrire 

Ind.  pres.  S9glio,  su9li,  su9le,  sogliamo,  solete, 
S9gliono.  Subj.  S9glia  etc.  Fast  abs.,  fut.,  past 
fut.,  imp.,  wanting;  supplied  by  esser  solito. 
Fast  part.  %q^\\.o 

solvei  (solv^tti)  soluto  Foetical 

270 


LIST  OF  IRREGULAR  VERBS 


sonare,  nng 

sopprimere,  suppress 
sorbire,  sip 
sorgere,  arise 
sosp^ndere,  suspend 

sostenere,  sustain 
spandere,  spill 
spargere,  spatter 
sparire,  disappear 
spandere,  spend 
spfngere  or  spfgnere, 

extinguish 
sp^rdere,  lose 
spargere,  disperse 
spingere,  push 
sp9rgere,  project 
stare,  be,  stay 


st^ndere,  extend 
stringere,  press 
strfiggere,  melt 

succ^dere,  succeed 
suggere,  suck 
susslstere,  subsist 
sv^Uere    or    sv^lgere 
(sv^rre),  uproot 


svenire,  swoon 


tacere,  be  silent 


Ind.pres.  su^no,  su^ni.  Diphthong  occurs  wherever 

the  accent  falls  on  o 
See  comprimere 
See  assorbire 

sorsi  sorto 

sospesi,  sospeso.  So  appendere,  impendere ;  pen- 

dere  is  reg.,  dipendere  either  reg.  or  irreg. 
See  tenere 

spanduto  or  poet,  spanto 
sparsi  sparse  or  rare  sparto 

See  apparire 

spesi  speso 

sp^nsi  spanto 

See  perdere 

sparsi  sp^rso  Rare 

spinsi  spinto 

spQrsi  spQrto 

Ind.  pres.  stg,  stai,  sta,  stiamo,  state,  stanno.  Past 
descr.  stavo  etc.  Past  abs.  st^tti,  stesti,  st^tte  or 
{poet.)  stie,  stemmo,  steste,  st^ttero.  Imp.  sta', 
state.  SubJ.  stia  etc.,  stiamo,  stiate,  stiano ;  past 
stessi  etc.  Past  part,  stato.  Ri^stare  and  sopra- 
stare,  like  stare :  rist^,  ristai,  etc. 

See  tendere 

strinsi  stretto 

strussi  strutto 

Distruggere  like  struggere 

See  concedere 

suggei  or  sussi.    Past  part,  lacking.  Rare 

See  assistere 

Ind.  pres.  sv^lgo,  sv^lgi  or  sv^lli,  sv^lge  or  sv^lle  ; 
svelgiamo  or  svelghiamo,  svelgete,  svflgono. 
Past  abs.  sv^lsi.  Fut.  sveller^.  Subj.  sv^lga, 
§velghiamo,  svflgano.    Past  part.  §v^lto 

See  venire.   Fut.  svenir^,  sverr^ 

Ind.  pres.  taccio,  taci,  tace,  taciamo,  tacete,  tac- 
ciono.  Past  abs.  tacqui.  Imp.  taci.   Subj.  taccia ,-, 
tacciamo,  tacciate,  tacciano.   Past  part,  taciuto 

271 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


t^ndere,  extend 
tenere,  hold 


tf  rgere,  wipe 
tingere,  tint 
t^gliere  or  tgrre,  take 
away 

tonare,  thunder 
t^rcere,  twist 
tossire,  coicgh 

tradurre,  translate 
trarre  (traere),  drag 


tesi  teso 

Jnd.pres.  t^ngo,  ti^ni,  ti^ne,  teniamo  t^rtenghiamo, 

tenete,  tf  ngono.  Pastabs.\.t.xvm.  Fut.  terrq.  Imp. 

ti^ni.    Subj.  t^nga,  teniamo  or  tenghiamo,  etc. 

Past  part,  tenuto 
t^rsi  t^rso  Rare 

tinsi  tinto 

Jnd.  pres.  tQlgo,  tggli,  tQglie,  togliamo,  togliete, 

trigone.    Past  abs.  tQlsi.    Fut.  torr^  or  toglierQ. 

Imp.  tQgli,  tg'.    Stibj.  tglga  etc.    Past  part,  tglto 
Pres.  tugno.    Diphthong  occurs  on  the  accent. 
tgrsi  tgrto 

Ind.  pres.  tgsso.    Subj.  tgssa.    Imp.  tgssi.    {^Rarely 

tossisco  etc.) 
See  addurre 
Ind. pres.  traggo,  trai,  trae,  tragghiamo,  traete,  trag- 

gono.    Past  abs.  trassi,  traesti,  trasse,  traemmo, 

traeste,  trassero.    Fut.  trarrg.    Imp.  trai.   Subj. 

tragga  etc.,  tragghiamo,  traggano.    Part.  pres. 

tra^ndo ;  past  tratto.    The  compounds  attrarre, 

contrarre,  distrarre,  ritrarre,  etc.,  like  trarre 


uccidere,  kill  uccisi  ucciso 

udire,  hear  Ind. pres.  gdo,  gdi,  gde,  udiamo,  udite,  ^dono.  Subj. 

gda;  udiamojudiate,  gdano.  Zw/.  gdi,  udite.  Fut. 

udirg  or  udrg.    Past  abs.  udii.   Past  part,  udito 
ungere,  anoint  unsi  unto 

urgere,  urge  Forms  in  tise :  Ind. pres.  urge,  urgono.   Past  descr. 

urgevo,  urg^vano.     Subj.  pres.   urga,  urgano ; 

past  urgesse,  urgessero.    Part.  pres.  urg^nte, 

urg^ndo.    Fut.  urgera,  urgeranno  Defective 

uscire  {rarely  escire),  go    Ind. pres.  ^sco,  ^sci,  ^sce,  usciamo,  uscite,  ^scono. 

out  Subj.  ^sca ;  usciamo,  usciate,  |scano.  Imp.  §sci, 

uscite.   Past  abs.  uscii.    Past  part,  uscito 

valere,  be  worth  Ind.  pres.  valgo,  vali,  vale,  vagliamo  or  valghiamo, 

valete,  valgono.  Past  abs.  V2\^\.  Fut.\2itxci.  Imp. 
vali.   Subj.  valga  or  vaglia,  valghiamo  or  vaglia- 

,  mo,  valghiate,  valgano  or  vagliano.    Past  part. 

valso  or  valuto 


272 


LIST  OF  IRREGULAR  VERBS 


vedere,  see 


venire,  come 


vestire,  dress 

vilip^ndere 
vincere,  conquer 
vivere,  live 

volere,  wish^  will 


V9lgere,  turn 
v^lvere,  turn 

votare,  empty 


Ind.  pres.  vedo  or  veggo,  vedi,  vede,  vediamo, 
vedete,  vedono  or  veggono  {poet,  veggio,  veg- 
giono).  Past  CLbs.\'\dS..  Put.  \edrQ.  Imp.  vedi  or 
ve',  vedete.  Sudj.  veda  or  vegga,  poet,  veggia ; 
vediamo,  vediate,  vedano  or  veggano,  poet. 
veggiano.  Part.  pres.  ved^nte  or  vegg^nte ; 
pa^t  visto  or  veduto.  Prevedere  and  provve- 
dere  have  futures  preveder9  and  prowederQ. 
Other  compounds  ^t/"  vedere,  like  vedere 

Ind.  pres.  v^ngo,  vi^ni,  vi^ne,  veniamo,  venite, 
v^ngono.  Past  abs.  venni.  Put.  verrQ.  Imp. 
vi^ni,  venite.  Subj.  v^nga,  poet,  v^gna.  Part, 
pres.  veni^nte  or  vegn^nte ;  past  venuto.  Com- 
pounds ^venire  conjugated  like  venire 

Ind. pres.  v^sto,  v^sti,  v^ste,  etc.  Past  part,  vestito, 
poet,  vestuto 

See  appendere 

vinsi  vinto 

Past  abs.  vissi.  Put.  vivrg.  Past  part,  vissuto 
{rarely  vivuto) 

Ind.  pres.  vgglio  or  vq',  vugi,  vugle,  vogliamo,  vo- 
lete,  v^gliono.  Past  abs.  vqIH.  Put.  vorrg.  Imp. 
VQgli,  vogliate.  Subj.  vgglia  etc.,  vogliamo,  vo- 
gliate,  v9gliano 

vglsi  vglto 

vglsi  vqUo  Rare 

Devolvere  has  a  past  part,  devoluto 

Ind.  pres.  vuQto,  vuQti,  etc.,  diphthong  occurring 
whenever  the  accent  falls  on  o. 


273 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


a,  ad  (39),  at,  to 

abbandonare  abandon 

abbasso  below;  downstairs 

abbiamo  i  pi.  pres.  ind.  o/eLveie 

abitante  w.  inhabitant 

abitare  dwell,  reside 

abito  m.  coat 

abituarsi    (a)    accustom   oneself 
(to) 

accadere  happen 

accanto  (a)  next,  next  door  (to) 

accfndere  light,  kindle 

accettare  accept 

acciaio  m.  steel 

accidfnte  m.  accident 

accomodarsi  make  oneself  comfort- 
able, sit  down 

accompagnare  accompany ;  match 

accordarsi  agree 

accQido  ?n.  agreement 

accQrgersi  di  notice,  become  aware 
of 

accrescere  increase 

acqua  /.  water 

acquistare  acquire 

acre  sharp,  bitter 

adatto  adapted,  suitable 

addgsso  (a)  on  top,  on  the  back 
(of) 

adriatico  adj.  Adriatic 

adulto  adult,  mature 

affare  m.  affair ;  //.  business 

affermare  affiirm,  declare 


affettUQSO  affectionate,  cordial 

affisso  m.  placard,  notice 

affoUato  crowded,  thronged 

agguantare  seize  upon 

agire  act 

agitatore  m.  agitator 

agli,  ai,  75 

ago  m.  needle;  hand  (of  clock) 

Agostino  Augustine 

agosto  m.  August 

PAia  the  Hague 

aiutare  help 

al,  alio,  75 ;  alle  s§i  at  six  o'clock 

alb^rgo  ?n.  hotel 

albero  m.  tree ;  mast 

alcuno  some,  some  one 

allegro  joyful 

allQdola  /.  lark 

allpra  then,  at  that  time 

almeno  at  least 

alterare  alter 

altezza  /.  height ;  highness 

alto  high 

altrettanto  as  much  again 

altro  other ;  «>3 !  of  course ! 

altrui  of  others 

alzarsi  rise,  get  up 

amare  love 

ambedue  both 

ambizipne  /.  ambition 

ambizipso  ambitious 

I'Amfrica  /.  America 

americano  American 


275 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


arnica  {pi.  -che)  /  friend 

amico  (//.  -ci)  m.  friend 

Aml§to  Hamlet 

ammalato  ill 

amministrativo  administrative 

ammirare  admire 

amore  m.  love 

anche  also 

ancora  yet,  still,  again 

andare  (149)  go;  andarsene  (127) 
go  away 

andg  3  sg.  p.  abs.  o/gmdaie 

an^llo  m.  ring 

angelo  m.  angel 

angolo  m.  corner;  far  ev)  con  be  at 
the  corner  of 

angusto  narrow 

annaf&are  water 

annaffiatpio  m.  watering-pot 

anno  w.  year;  buoncv)  Happy  New 
Year 

annoverare  enumerate 

antemeridiano  of  the  morning 

antichita  /.  antiquity 

anticipatamente  beforehand,  in  ad- 
vance 

antico  ancient 

antimilitarista  m.  anti-militarist 

antologia  /  anthology 

ape  /.  bee 

apfrto  open 

apparecchiare  set  table 

appartamento  m.  apartment 

appartenere  belong 

appassire  wither 

appena  hardly ;  no  sooner 

appiicare  apply 

appollaiarsi  roost 

approvare  approve 

appuntare  pin 


aprile  m.  April 

aprire  open 

arancio  m.  orange-tree 

archit?tto  m.  architect 

ardere  bum 

ardito  bold 

ardore  m.  ardor 

argfnto  m.  silver 

aria  /.  air 

AristQtile  Aristotle 

armi  /.  pi.  arms 

arrestare  arrest 

arrivare  arrive 

arrive  m.  arrival 

arte  /  art 

artista  m.  artist 

ascoltare  listen 

aspettare  wait,  await 

aspettativo  m.  expectancy 

assai  very;  much 

assortito  to  match,  like 

assurdO  absurd 

astuccio  m.  sewing-case 

attfndere  await 

attf  nto  attentive ;  stare  cv>  pay  at- 
tention 

attenzipne  /.  attention ;  fare  03  pay 
attention 

attillato  close  fitting ;  well  dressed 

attimo  /;/.  instant 

attrarre  draw,  attract 

augurare  wish,  wish  well 

austriaco  Austrian 

autompbile  c.  automobile 

autQie  m.  author 

autunno  m.  autumn 

avanti  before,  ahead;  <>»  che  conj. 
w.  subj.  before 

avaro  w.  miser 

avere  (120)  have ;  ~  da  have  to ;  aver 


276 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


caMo,  freddo,  be  hot,  cold ;  aver 
fretta,  furia,  be  in  a  hurry ;  aver- 
sela  a  male  take  ill,  be  offended 

avr^  I  sg.fut.  ind.  o/aLYere 

awenire  (138)  happen 

awentarsi  a  rush  upon 

arverare  aver,  confirm 

awertire  advise,  warn 

awezzare  accustom 

avviarsi  take  one's  way 

awicinarsi  a  approach 

awisarsi  bethink  oneself 

awiso  m.  placard 

awocato  m.  lawyer 

azzurro  blue 

babbo  m.  papa 

baciare  kiss 

bacio  m.  kiss 

badare  take  care 

bagagliaio  m.  baggage- room 

bagaglio  m.  baggage,  trunk 

bagnato  wet 

bagno  m.  bath 

balenare  lighten 

bambino,  -a,  child 

banda  /.  band 

bandif  ra  /.  flag 

barattare  exchange 

barca  /.  boat 

basso  low 

bastare  suffice,  be  enough 

bastpne  m.  cane 

battaglia  /.  battle 

battere  beat 

baule  m.  trunk ;    fare  il  «>3  pack 

one's  trunk 
bavero  m.  coat-collar 
bebe  m.  baby 
bf  1  for  b§llo 


Bflga  {//.  -gi,  -ghe)  Belgian 

il  B^lgio  Belgium 

bellezza  /.  beauty 

bfUico  pertaining  to  war 

bellicoso  warlike 

bellino  pretty 

b^llo  fine,  beautiful ;  b§ll*  e  fatto 

ready-made 
benche  conj.  7v.  subj.  although 
b^ne,  b^n,  well 
benefizio  m.  benefit 
benissimo,  benpne,  very  well  indeed 
benzina  /.  gasolene 
bere  drink 
bianco  white 
biasmare  blame 
bicchifre  m.  drinking-glass 
bigio  gray 
biglietto  m.  ticket;   <X3  d'andata  e 

ritomo  round-trip  ticket 
bilancio  m.  balance,  account 
bilipne  w.  trillion  (U.S.), billion(Eng.) 
bimbo,  -a,  baby 
bisognare  impers.  need 
bisogno  m.  need 
bocconi  on  one's  face 
bQia  m.  executioner 
bolletta  /.  check,  receipt 
bollire  boil 
Borbone  Bourbon 
bprsa  /.  purse,  bag 
bgsco  m.  wood 
bottega  /.  shop 
bottiglia  /.  bottle 
bgve  m.  ox 
braccio  m.  arm 
brano  m.  shred,  fragment 
bravo  brave ;  clever 
breccia  /.  breach 
brfve  short 


277 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


britannico  Britannic 

bruciare  burn 

bruscamente  abruptly 

brutto  ugly 

buio  m.  dark ;  al  ~  in  the  dark 

buQno,  bUQn,  good ;  buon  giorno 
good  morning;  buQna  sera  good 
afternoon,  good  evening 

burro  m.  butter 

bussola  /.  compass,  bearings 

busta  f.  envelope 

buttare  throw ;  ~  via  throw  away 

cacciare  hunt,  drive  out 

cadere  fall 

caduco  weak 

caff|  m.  coffee ;  cafe 

caldo  warm,  hot ;   fa  ~  it  is  warm 

weather 
calmo  calm 
calore  m.  heat 
calzino  m.  sock 
calzolaio  m.  shoemaker 
calzpni  m.  pi.  trousers 
cambiare  change  [room 

camera  /.  chamber ;  cv)  da  letto  bed- 
cameri^re  m.  waiter 
camminare  walk 
campagna  /.  country 
campione  m.  sample 
cane  m.  dog 
cannone  m.  cannon 
cantare  sing 
canzone  f.  song 
capello  m.  hair 
capino  m.  crown  of  hat 
capire  understand 
capitale  /  capital 
capitare  chance  to  be,  happen  in 
capitolo  m.  chapter 


capo  m.  head;  a  ~  chino  with  bowed 

head 
caporale  m.  corporal 
capp^Uo  m.  hat ;  ~  sodo  derby  hat ; 

~  a  cfncio  soft  hat 
carattere  m.  character,  disposition 
carbonaro  m.  charcoal-burner 
carcere  m.  prison 
cardo  m.  thistle 
carezza  /.  caress 
carica  /.  load ;  office 
caricare  load ;  wind  up 
carico  loaded ;  wound  up 
carino  charming,  pretty 
Carlo  Charles 
carne  /.  meat 
caro  dear 

carponi  on  all  fours 
carrgzza  f.  carriage 
carta  /  paper ;  ~  protocgllo  foolscap 
cartasuga  f.  blotting-paper 
cartellino  m.  sheet,  label 
cartfUo  m.  shop-sign 
cartolaio  m.  stationer 
cartolina  postale  post  card 
casa  f.    house ;    a   ~    homeward, 

home  ;  in  ~  at  home ;  stare  in  ~ 

stay  in  ;  star  di  cv>  reside 
le  Cascine  "  The  Dairies,"  a  park 

in  Florence 
caso  ni.  case  ;  in  ogni  os  in  any  case ; 

cv)  mai  in  case 
castfUo  m.  castle 
catena  /  chain 
cattivo  bad 

cavalifre  m.  knight,  man  on  horse- 
back 
cavallo  ni.  horse ;  andare  a  «>?  ride 

horseback 
cavare  take  out 


278 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


cfdere  yield 

cflebre  celebrated 

celf  ste  light  blue 

c^ncio  m.  rag ;  cappello  a  ~  soft  hat 

cenno  m.  signal,  nod 

centfsimo  m.  centime 

centimetro  m.  centimeter 

centinaio  m.  collective  hundred 

c^nto  hundred,  a  hundred 

centrale  central 

Cfntro  m.  center;  al  ~  down  town 

cercare  look  for ;  ~  di  {w.  inf.)  try 

cerv^llo  m.  brain 

Cesare  Caesar 

cessare  cease 

che  which,  that 

chi  who,  whom 

chiacchierare  chat 

chiamare  call ;  chiamarsi  be  called, 
be  named 

Chiara  Clara 

chiaro  clear,  light  (color) 

chicca  f.  sweetmeat 

chi^sa  /.  church 

chilo  7n.  kilogram 

chino  bent;  a  capo  ~  with  bowed 
head 

chiQCCiola  f.  snail ;  scala  a  ^vj  wind- 
ing stair 

chirurgo  m.  surgeon 

chiudere  shut 

ci,  ce,  pivn.  us  ;  adv.  there,  at  it,  to 
it ;  c'e,  ci  sono,  there  is,  there  are 

ciarpetta  f.  necktie,  scarf 

ciascuno  each  one 

ci^co  blind 

cilindro  m.  cyUnder;  cappello  a  £v> 
tall  hat 

cima  /.  summit ;  in  t^s  a  on  top  of 

cinquanta  fifty 


cinque  five 

cioccolata  /.  chocolate 

circa  about,  approximately 

Ciro  Cyrus 

citta  /  city 

cittadino  m.  citizen 

Ciuco  m.  donkey 

civetta  /  coquette 

civile  civilized ;  civic ;  polite 

civilt^  /.  civilization 

classe  /.  class 

classico  classic 

cogli,  cpi,  75 

CQgliere  gather,  pluck 

cognata  /.  sister-in-law 

cognato  m.  brother-in-law 

col,  colic,  coUa,  75 

colazipne  /.  luncheon;  far  c>s  take 

luncheon 
coUana  /  necklace 
CQllera  /  anger 
coUina  /.  hill 
CQlmo  m.  summit 
colorato  colored;  tan 
colore  m.  color 
cplpa  /.  blame,  fault 
colt^Uo  m.  knife 
comandare  command 
comando  m.  command 
combattere  fight 
come  as,  like 
cominciare  begin 
commissipne  /  errand 
commQSSO  moved 
commoY^nte  moving 
CQmodo  convenient,  comfortable ; 

far  cxs  come  handy;  star  <>3  be 

comfortable 
compagno,  -a,  companion 
comparire  appear 


279 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


compile  fulfill,  complete 

compleanno  m.  birthday 

complimento  m.  compliment;  far 
complimenti  stand  on  ceremony 

compra  /.  purchase 

comprare  buy 

comunicante  connecting,  communi- 
cating 

comunicare  communicate 

cpn  with 

condannare  condemn 

condurre  conduct 

confine  m.  boundary 

confprto  ni.  comfort 

confrontare  compare 

congiurare  conspire 

conosc^nza  f.  acquaintance 

conoscere  know,  be  acquainted  with 

conquistatore  m.  conqueror 

considerare  consider 

considerevole  considerable 

consigli^re  m.  adviser,  counselor 

consiglio  m.  advice 

consistere  consist 

console  m.  consul 

consumato  used  up 

contadino,  -a,  peasant 

contante  m.  counting,  cash ;  a  con- 
tanti  in  cash 

cpnte  m.  count 

contentarsi   (di)    content   oneself 
(with) 

cont^nto  contented 

contessa  f.  countess 

continuare  continue 

conto  m.  bill ;  tornar  cv.  be  of  advan- 
tage ;  non  mf rita  il  os  it  is  not 
worth  while 

contrario  contrary 

contro  against 


convenire   (138)    be  suitable,  be 

fitting 
conversazione  /.  conversation 
copertone  m.  blanket 
copiare  copy 
CQppia  f.  couple 
coprire  cover 
coraggio  m.  courage 
cornetta  /.  horn 
corrfggere  correct 
correre  run 

corrispondere  correspond 
corsa  /.  course,  run 
cortese  kind 
corto  short 
CQsa  /  thing 

cosci^nza  /.  consciousness 
cosi  thus,  so 
CQsta  f.  coast 
costaggiii  down  there 
costare  cost 
cotone  m.  cotton 
C^ttimo    m.  contract;  a  ~  by  the 

piece 
cravatta  /.  necktie,  cravat 
credere  believe 
crescere  grow 
cristiano  Christian 
Cristgforo   Colombo  Christopher 

Columbus 
crociata  /.  crusade 
cucchiaio  m.  spoon 
cucina  f.  kitchen ;  cookery 
cucire  sew 
cugino,  -a,  cousin 
cui  to  whom,  of  whom,  to  which, 

of  which 
cultura  /.  culture 
cuQcere  cook 
cugio  m.  leather 


280 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


cuQre  w., heart 

da  by,  from 

dacche  since  {^temporal) 

dagli,  dai,  dal,  dallo,  dalla,  75 

danno  s  pi.  o/dane 

danno  m.  damage,  injury 

dappertutto  everyv/here 

dare  (131)  give;  ~  su  face  on;  ~ 
il  bugn  viaggio  wish  (one)  a  pleas- 
ant journey 

davanti  a  in  front  of 

dawero  indeed 

dfcimo  tenth 

decina  /.  {collective)  ten 

dedicare  dedicate 

degenerare  degenerate 

degli,  dei,  del,  dello,  della,  75 

denaro  m.  money 

dfnte  m.  tooth 

dentro  (di)  within 

deplorare  regret,  lament 

deprimere  depress 

deputato  w.  deputy,  representative 

desiderare  desire 

desidfrio  m.  desire 

desinare  dine 

dfstro  right 

determinare  determine 

detto  /./.  of  dire 

d§vi,  d§ve,  2-j  sg.pres.  ind.  o/doyeie 

di  of ;  di  111  da  beyond ;  di  qua  da 
on  this  side  of 

di  m.  day 

dia  sg.pres.  subj.  of  dsae 

dialogo  m.  dialogue 

dica  sg.  pres.  subj.  of  dire 

dice  says 

dic^mbre  m.  December 

dichiarare  declare 

dicianngye  nineteen 


diciassftte  seventeen 

diciQtto  eighteen 

dicono  J  //.  pres.  ind.  of  dire 

di^ci  ten 

di^tro  a  behind 

diffndere  defend 

difesa  /.  defense 

difftto  771.  fault,  defect 

difficile  difficult 

diffondere  scatter 

difilato  straight  ahead 

dighiacciare  thaw 

dimenticare  forget 

diminuire  diminish 

dimorare  dwell,  reside 

dimostrare  show 

dinanzi  a  in  front  of 

dinastia  /.  dynasty 

dio  771.  god 

dire  (175)  say 

direzione  /.  direction 

dirigere  direct 

discQstO  (a)  distant  (from) 

discrete  modest,  discreet 

discutere  discuss 

disfatta  /.  defeat 

disgrazia  f.  misfortune 

disgraziatamente  unfortunately 

dispaccio  t7i.  telegram 

disperato  desperate 

dispiac§nte  sorry 

dispiacere  displease 

disse  3  sg.  p.  abs.  o/C^e 

distfndere  spread 

ditale  m.  thimble 

dito  771.  finger 

diventare  become 

diverse  different 

divertirsi  amuse  oneself 

dividere  divide 


28] 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


dQ  I  sg.  pres.  ind.  of  dare 

dobbiamo  i  pi.  pres.  ind.  of  doweie 

dpdici  twelve 

dolce  m.  sweetmeat,  dessert;  adj. 
sweet 

dolere  (172)  grieve ;  w.  dat.  ache 

dolorosamente    sorrowfully,   pain- 
fully 

domandare  ask;  ~  di  ask  for  (a 
person) 
*    domani  to-morrow 

domenica  /.  Sunday 

domfstico  m.  servant;  adj.  domes- 
tic 

dQnna  f.  woman ;  woman-servant 

dopo  prep,  after ;  ~  che  conj.  after 

dpppio  double 

dormire  sleep 

dgsso  m.  back 

dotare  endow 

dgtto  learned 

dove  where 

dovere  v.  (188)  owe ;  m.  duty 

dovesse  j  sg.  p.  subj.  of  dovere 

dovunque  conj.  w.  subj.  wherever 

dozzina  f.  dozen 

drammatico  dramatic 

dubitare  doubt 

duca  m.  duke 

ducato  m.  duchy 

due  two;  Due  Sicilie/.//.  Kingdom 
of  the  Two  Sicilies 

dunque  then,  accordingly 

duodfcimo  twelfth 

dugmo  m.  cathedral 

durare  last 

e,  ed  (39),  and 

I  is 

eccitamento  m.  excitement 


§cco  here  is,  there  is,  behold 

§co  c.  echo 

educate  polite 

effettuare  effect 

egli,  ei,  he 

eglino  they  {m.) 

elegante  elegant 

elevato  elevated 

elfggere  elect 

ella  she 

elleno  they  (/) 

elpgio  m.  praise,  eulogy 

emozione  f.  emotion 

energia  f.  energy 

Enrico  Henry 

entrambi  both 

entrare  enter 

entusiasmo  m.  enthusiasm 

?ra  /.  era 

eredita  /.  heredity 

erge  m.  hero 

eroicamente  heroically 

esclusivamente  exclusively 

esfmpio  m.  example 

esfrcito  m.  army 

esiliare  exile 

esitare  hesitate 

esparto  skillful,  expert 

esporre  (196)  expose 

espressione  f.  expression 

esprime  j  sg.  pres.  ind.  <7/'esprimer\ 

esprimere  express 

f  ssere  (96)  be 

esso,  -a,  he,  him,  she,  her,  it 

estate  /.  summer 

et^  f.  age  ;  in  ~  di  at  the  age  of 

et§rno  eternal 

etrusco  Etruscan 

evenif  nza  /.  event,  occurrence 

evitare  avoid 


282 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


fa  J  ^g.pres.  ind.  o/faie 

fa'  <?  sg.  imper.  o/faxe 

facchino  m.  porter 

f accia  /.  face ;  in  ~  a  opposite 

f  accio  /  sg.  pres.  ind.  of  fare 

faceva  3  sg.  past  descr.  off  axe 

facile  easy 

tacolik  f.  college  (of  university) 

falco  m.  falcon,  hawk 

fallire  fail 

fallo  m.  miss,  failure,  error;  s?nza 
ev>  without  fail 

fame  /.  hunger ;  aver  ~  be  hungry 

famiglia  /.  family 

famoso  famous 

fango  m.  mud 

fantasia  f.  ornament 

fare  (163)  make,  do ;  far  caldo  be 
hot  weather ;  far  fr^ddo  be  cold 
weather  ;  far  colazione  take  break- 
fast ;  far  passare,  far  entrare,  show 
in  ;  far  tardi  be  late 

fatale  fatal 

fatica  /  fatigue,  effort 

faticoso  wearisome 

fatto  m.  fact,  deed;  /./.  o/fate 

favore  m.  favor ;  per  ev)  please 

favorire  favor,  favor  with 

fazzoletto  m.  handkerchief 

febbraio  m.  February 

fecero  3  pi-  P-  abs.  off  axe 

fede  /.  faith 

f edeltH  /.  fidelity 

felice  happy 

feltro  m.  felt 

ferire  wound,  strike 

ferita  /.  wound 

fermaglio  m.  brooch 

fermarsi  stop 

fermo  firm,  still 


f^rro  m.  iron 

ferroviario  railway  (adj.) 

ffrvere  burn,  be  fervent 

f §sta  /.  holiday 

fiacco  weak 

fico  m.  fig 

figlia  /  daughter 

figlio  m.  son 

figurare  figure 

figurarsi  imagine 

figurino  m.  pattern;  manikin 

Filippo  Philip 

filosQfico  philosophical 

finalmente  finally 

finche  as  long  as  ;  ~  non  until 

fine  /.  end  ;  m.  aim  ;  alia  f^  at  last 

finf  stra  /.  window 

finire  finish 

fino  fine 

fino  a  up  to,  as  far  as ;  fin  da  from 

{time) ;  fin  dove  how  far 
finzione  /.  fiction,  pretense 
figcco  m.  bow 
fiore  m.  flower 
fiorentino  Florentine 
fiorire  bloom 
fiorito  in  bloom 
Fiifnze  Florence 
fischio  m.  whistle 
fiume  m.  river 
fgdera  /.  lining 
f  9glia  /.  leaf 

fondino  m.  shape,  foundation 
fpndo  m.  back,  bottom,  end;  in^Nsa 

at  the  back  etc.  of 
f  Qibici  /.  pi.  scissors 
f orchetta  /  fork 
forestifre  foreigner 
forma  /.  form,  last 
formicolare  swarm 


283 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


fornaio  m.  baker 
fornire  furnish 
forse  perhaps 
fQrte  strong 

fortuna  /.  fortune,  good  luck 
fQrza  /.  force  ;  a  ~  di  by  dint  of 
forzato  forced 
f  otograf  ia  /.  photograph 
fra  among,  between 
francese  French 
Francesco  Francis 
la  Francia  France 
francobollo  m.  postage-stamp 
frate  m.  friar,  brother 
fratfllo  m.  brother 
freddo  cold ;  fa  ~  it  is  cold 
freno  m.  brake 
fresco  cool 

fretta  /.  haste  ;  aver  ~  be  in  haste 
frettolpso  hurried  [resist 

f rgnte  /.  front ;  forehead ;  f ar  ~  a 
frugale  frugal 
frutto  m.  fruit 
fu  the  late,  deceased 
fucilazione  f.  execution,  shooting 
fuggire  flee 
fulmine  m.  thunderbolt 
fumo  m.  smoke 
fungo  m.  mushroom 
fugco  m.  fire 

fugri   outside ;   o^  di  porta   outside 
the  city ;  andar  cv)  go  out 

galantuQmo  m.  honorable  man 

gallina  /.  hen 

ganci  m.  pi.  hooks  (and  eyes) 

gargfano  m.  carnation 

gattino  m.  kitten 

gelare  freeze 

gelato  m.  ice-cream 


generale  adj.  general ;  m.  general 

generalmente  usually,  generally 

gfnere  m.  sort,  kind 

gfnero  m.  son-in-law 

generoso  generous 

genitori  m.  pi.  parents 

gennaio  m.  January 

gf nte  /.  folk,  people 

gentile  kind,  agreeable 

ghiacciare  freeze 

ghiaccio  m.  ice 

gia  already ;  once,  formerly 

giacchetta  /.  jacket 

il  Giappone  Japan 

giardino  m.  garden 

gingcchio  m.  knee 

ginocchipni  on  one's  knees 

giocare  (110,  d)  play 

gipia  /.  joy 

gioiellifre  m.  jeweler 

gioifUo  m.  jewel 

Giorgio  George 

giornale  m.  newspaper 

giornata  f.  day,  period  of  a  day ; 

a  ~  by  the  day 
giorno  m.  day;  di  ~  by  day 
giovane  young 
giovanetto,  -a,  young  person 
Giovanni,  Giovannino,  John 
giovare  be  of  use 
giovedi  m.  Thursday 
gioventu  /.  youth 
girare  turn 
giratina  /.  short  walk 
giro  m.  tour,  circular  journey 
gill  down 

giubba  f.  dress-coat 
giudizioso  sensible,  judicious 
giugno  in.  June 
Giulio  Julius 


•84 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


giungere  arrive 

giurare  swear 

Giuseppe  Joseph 

giusto  just,  right 

gli  to  him;  the  {m. pL,   71,  h,c) 

glgria  /.  glory 

gnQCCO  m.  dumpling 

gomito  m.  elbow 

gondola  /.  gondola 

ggta  /.  cheek 

governatore  m.  governor 

gov^rno  m.  government 

grammatica  /  grammar 

grande  large,  great 

granducato  m.  grand  duchy 

grasso  fat 

grave  heavy 

grazie///.  thanks 

grazioso  pretty,  charming,  graceful 

gr^co  Greek 

gridare  cry,  shout 

grigio  gray 

grossezza  size,  magnitude 

grgsso  big 

gni  /.  crane 

gruppo  m.  group 

guadagnare  earn 

guancia  /.  cheek 

guantaio  m.  glover 

guanto  7n.  glove 

guardare  look,  look  at 

guardia  /.  conductor,  guard 

guarire  recover,  be  cured 

guarnizione  /.  trimming 

guf  rra  /.  war 

guida  /.  guide 

gusto  ni.  taste 

id^a  /.  idea 
i^ri  yesterday 


ignorante  ignorant 
il,  i,  the  {m.  sg.  and  pi.) 
illustre  illustrious 
imbandire  serve  (a  meal) 
immediatamente  immediately 
imparare  learn 
imparl  odd,  uneven 
impedire  prevent,  hinder 
imperatpre  m.  emperor 
impermeabile  m.  rain-coat 
impfro  m.  empire 
impfrvio  impervious 
impiccare  hang  (a  man) 
impiegato  w.  employee 
imporre  (196)  impose 
importare  import 
impossibile  impossible 
impostare  post,  mail 
imprigionare  imprison 
improwiso  unforeseen ;  all'  «vi  un 

expectedly 
imprud^nte  imprudent 
in  in,  into 
incassare  set 
incasso  m.  receipts 
InchiQstro  m.  ink 
incominciare  commence 
incontrare  meet 
indarno  in  vain 
indi^tro  back,  backward 
indipend^nza  f.  independence 
individuo  individual 
indomani  /«.  (the)  next  day 
indovinare  guess 
industria  /.  industry 
inesauribile  inexhaustible 
infatti  in  fact 
infelice  unhappy 
inferiore  inferior,  lower 
inferno  m.  Inferno,  hell 


^8S 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


infimo  lowest 

inganno  m.  deceit 

ingegnfre  m.  engineer 

ingegno  m.  talent,  genius 

I'Inghiltf  rra  /.  England 

inglese  English 

Inglese  m.  Englishman 

ingrato  ungrateful 

innalzare  raise 

insegna  f.  shop  sign 

insegnare  teach 

insi^me  together 

insigne  remarkable 

insudiciare  soil 

integro  whole,  entire 

intelligfnte  intelligent 

intfndere  understand 

interrptto  interrupted 

intitolare  entitle 

intravvedere  glimpse 

invecchiare  grow  old 

invece  instead ;  on  the  contrary 

inv§rno  m.  winter 

inviare  send 

io  I 

isola  /  island 

istituire  establish 

istitutore,  -trice,  instructor,  teacher 

istituzione  /.  institution 

PItalia  /  Italy 

italiano  Italian 

la,  le,    the  (/.  sg.  and  pi.) ;    her, 

them  (/.) 
la  there 
labbro  m.  lip 
lagnarsi  complain 
lago  m.  lake 
laico  lay,  layman 
lampada  /  lamp 


lana  /.  wool 

lanciare  throw 

lapis  m.  pencil 

larghezza  /  width 

largo  wide 

lasciare  leave,  allow 

latino  Latin 

latta  /.  tin 

latte  7n.  milk 

lavamano  m.  washstand 

lavarsi  bathe,  wash 

lavorare  work 

lavpro  m.  task 

le  to  her ;  the  (/.  //.) 

legge  /  law 

legg^ndo  reading 

Ifggere  read 

leggi^ro  light;  light-colored 

legno  m.  wood;  carriage 

Ifi  her ;  you,  sg.  (65,  a) 

If  ttera  /.  letter 

letteratura  /.  literature 

l^tto  /./.  ^Ifggere 

Iftto  m.  bed 

levare  lift ;  levarsi  rise ;  take  off 

lezione  /.  lesson 

li  them  {m.) 

li  there 

liberazipne  /.  liberation 

libero  free 

liberty  /.  liberty 

libraio  m.  bookseller 

libro  m.  book 

licf  nza  /.  leave 

li^to  gay,  cheerful 

limone  m.  lemon 

lingua  f.  language  ;  tongue 

lira  /.  lira,  twenty  cents 

liscio  smooth,  plain 

lite  /.  lawsuit 


186 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


liyornese  Leghomese 

Livprno  Leghorn 

lo  him ;  the  (w.  sg.,  71,  6) 

lodare  praise 

il  Lombardo-V§neto  Lombardo- 

Venetia 
Londra  London 
lontano  (da)  distant  (from) 
loro  their,  them ;  you,  //.  (65,  a) 
Igtta  /  struggle 
Igtto  m.  lottery 
luglio  m.  July 
lui  him 
Luigi  Louis 
lume  m.  light,  lamp 
lunedi  m.  Monday 
lunghezza  /.  length 
lungi  far 
lungo  long 
lUQgo  m.  place 
lusso  m.  luxury 
lustrare  polish,  black 
lustrascarpe  m.  bootblack 
lutto  w.  mourning;  ao'  in  mourning 

ma  but 

macchia  /.  stain;  thicket;  brambles 

macchina  f.  machine  ;  ~  da  scrivere 

typewriter 
madre  /.  mother 
maestll  /.  majesty 
maestro,  -a,  teacher 
maggio  m.  May 
maggiore  greater;  elder 
mai  ever ;  non  .  .  .  ~  never 
malamente  badly 
malanno  w.  misfortune 
malattia  /  illness 
male  badly ;  f ar  e>3  a  hurt ;  non  c*  e  ~ 

pretty  well ;  oa  di  tf  sta  headache 


malgrado    m.   displeasure ;    ~  che 

conj.  w.  subj.  notwithstanding  that 
mamma,  mammina,/  mamma 
mammola  /  violet 
mancanzay.  lack;  sentire  la  <»  di  miss 
mancare  fail,  be  lacking 
mancia  /  fee,  tip 
mandare  send 
mane  /  morning  [poet.) ;   da  <^  a 

sera  from  morning  till  night 
mangiare  eat 
manica  /.  sleeve 
manico  m.  handle 
mani^ra  /.  manner 
mano  /  hand ;   a  e>3   by  hand ;   di 

secpnda  (>3  at  second  hand  ;  dar  la 

~  a  shake  hands  with 
mantice  m.  bellows ;  automobile-top 
marcia  /.  march 
marciapi^de  m.  sidewalk 
mare  m.  sea  ;  al  ~  by  the  sea ;  in  ev) 

at  sea 
marina  /.  navy 
marinaio  m.  sailor 
marito  m.  husband 
martedi  m.  Tuesday 
martlrio  m.  martyrdom 
marzo  m.  March 
maschera  /  mask 
maschio  male 
massimo  greatest 
matf ria  f.  subject,  matter,  material 
mattina  f.  morning 
mazzolino  m.  bouquet 
medesimo  same,  self 
medicina  /.  medicine 
mfdico  m.  physician 
m^glio  better  [adv.) 
mela  /.  apple 
memgriay.  memory 


•87 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


meno  less  {^adv.) ;  fare  a  ~  di  do 
without;  a  oa  che  conj.  w.  subj. 
unless 

mente  f.  mind ;  a  ~  by  heart 

mentire  lie 

mentre  while 

merciaio  m.  dry-goods  merchant 

mercoledi  m.  Wednesday 

meridionale  southern 

meritare  deserve 

mfse  7H.  month 

messa  f.  Mass 

mesti^re  m.  trade,  craft 

metll  /.  half 

metallo  m.  metal 

m^tro  m.  meter 

metrgpoli  /.  metropolis 

mettere  put,  put  on  ;  mettersi  a  be- 
gin ;  mettersi  a  sedere  sit  down 

mf  zzangtte  /.  midnight 

mfzzo  m.  half;  middle;  in  ~  a  in 
the  middle  of 

m^zzogiorno  m.  mid-day;  south 

mi,  me,  me 

miglio  {pi.  miglia)  m.  mile 

migliore  better  {adj.) 

Milano  Milan 

milipne  m.  million 

militare  military   • 

militarismo  w.  militarism 

militarista  m.  militarist 

mille  thousand,  a  thousand 

minaccia  /.  threat 

minacciare  threaten 

minora  /.  mine 

minimo  least 

ministro  m.  member  of  Cabinet 

minore  less;  younger 

minuto  m.  minute 

mio  my 


misero  miserable,  wretched 

misura  /.  measure ;  su  ~  to  order 

mite  gentle 

Mpdena  a  city  in  northern  Italy 

modenese  of  Modena 

mod^rno  modern 

modfsto  modest 

modista  f.  milliner 

moglie  {pi.  mogli)  /.  wife 

mQlla  f.  spring,  mainspring 

mglle  /  //.  tongs 

moltitudine  /.  multitude 

mplto,  -i,  much,  many 

momento  m.  moment;  a  momenti 

in  a  minute 
mgnaco  m.  monk 
monarca  m.  monarch 
monarchico  monarchical 
mondo  m.  world 
mon^llo  m.  rascal 
moneta  f.  coin,  piece  of  money 
montagna  f.  mountain 
montare  mount,  climb 
montpne  m.  sheep 
morire  (156)  die 
mormorare  murmur 
mgrte  /.  death 
mgrto  dead 
mostrare  show 
mostro  m.  monster 
mgto  m.  motion 
movimento  m.  movement 
muggire  low 

mughetto  m.  lily-of-the-valley 
muQvere  (110,  <f,  i)  move 
muricciuplo  m.  low  wall 
muro  m.  wall 
musfO  m.  museum 
mutare   change;   ~  di  pensi^ro 

change  one's  mind 


288 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


Napoli  Naples 

nascere  be  born 

nascondere  hide 

nascosto  hidden  ;  di  ~  secretly 

nastro,  nastrino,  m.  ribbon 

Natale    m.    Christmas;     bugn    03 

Merry  Christmas 
natura  /.  nature 
naturale  natural 
navale  naval 
nazionale  national 
nazionalita  /.  nationality 
nazione  /.  nation 

ne  adv.  thence  ;  pron.  of  it,  of  them 
ne conj. neither, nor;  ev) —  exa  neither 

. .  .  nor 
nebbia  /.  fog 
necessario  necessary 
negQzio  w.  shop 
nel,  nello,  nella,  negli,  nei,  75 
nemico  m.  enemy 
nemmeno  not  even 
neppure  nor  .  .  .  either ;  not  even 
nero  black 
nessuno  no  one 
neve  f.  snow 
nevicare  snow 
nido  m.  nest 

nif  nte  nothing ;  you're  welcome 
nipple,  nipotino,  m.  nephew 
nitrire  neigh 
np  no 

ngbile  noble 
npce  /.  walnut 
noi  we,  us 

npia  f.  annoyance ;  dar  cv.  a  annoy 
noioso  annoying 
nome  m.  name 
non  not,  no 
nondimeno  nevertheless 


npnno  vi.  grandfather,  grandparent 
ngno  ninth 

nonostante  che  conj.  w.  subj.  not- 
withstanding that 
npstro  our,  ours 
notizie  /  //.  news 
nptte  /.  night ;  di  ~  by  night 
novanta  ninety 
npve  nine 

novfmbre  m.  November 
noviti  /  novelty,  notion 
nozione  /.  notion,  idea 
npzze  /.  //.  wedding 
nulla  nothing 
nugra  /.  daughter-in-law 
nuQVO  new ;  di  <^  again 
nutrire  nourish 

9,  pd  (39),  or ;  0  ...  9  either ...  or 

p  ^r  p  now,  well  now 

occasipne  /.  occasion,  opportunity 

pcchio  m.  eye  ;  a  quattr'  gcchi  tete-a- 
tete  ;  dar  nell*  ~  be  conspicuous 

occidentale  western 

occprrere  impers.  need ;  occorrente 
requisite,  wanted 

occupare  occupy 

offrire  offer 

9ggi  to-day 

pgni  every 

ognuno  every  one 

plmo  m.  elm 

ombr^Uo  m.  umbrella 

pnda  f.  wave 

onomastico  m.  saint's-day 

onpre  m.  honor 

Qpera  /.  work 

operaio  m.  workman 

pra  now;  or  00  just  now;  prsonoago 

oramai,  ormai,  henceforth 


189 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


ordinamento  m.  arrangement 

ordinare  order 

ordine  m.  order 

orecchino  m.  earring        [deaf  ear 

orecchio    m.  ear;   ~  da  mercante 

organizzazione  /.  organization 

orlo  m.  edge 

Qro  m.  gold 

orolQgio  m.  watch 

orrpre  m.  horror 

osare  dare 

oscuro  obscure 

osservare  observe 

QSSO  m.  bone 

ottanta  eighty 

ottavo  eighth 

gttimo  best 

QttO  eight 

ottobre  m.  October 

pve  where 

OVVero  or  else 

pacco  m.  parcel 

pace  /.  peace 

padre  m.  father 

padrone  m.  landlord 

paesaggio  m.  landscape 

paese  m.  country;  village 

pagare  pay,  pay  for 

pagina  /.  page 

paglia  /.  straw ;  muovere  <^  stir 

paio  m.  {pi.  paia)  pair 

palazzo  m.  palace 

palla  /  ball 

panchetto  m.  footstool 

pane  m.  bread 

pani^re  m.  basket 

panna  /.  whipped  cream 

panorama  m.  view 

Paolo  Paul 


paradiso  m.  paradise 

paragonare  compare 

pareggiare  equal 

par^nte  m.  relative 

parere  (161)  appear 

pari  even 

Parigi  Paris 

parlare  speak 

parroco  m.  parish  priest 

parte  /,  part,  side,  share 

partire  depart 

parvenire  (138)  arrive 

Pasqua  /  Easter 

passare  pass 

passeggiare  walk 

passeggiata  /  walk ;  fare  una  <^ 

take  a  walk 
passeggio  m.  walk 
passo  m.  step ;  passage 
pasta  f.  cake 
patire  suffer 

patria  f.  country,  fatherland 
patrimgnio  m.  patrimony 
patrigta  m.  patriot 
patto  m.  bargain;  a  ~  che  conj.  iv. 

subj.  on  condition  that 
paura  /.  fear ;  aver  ~  di  be  afraid  of 
pazi^nza  /.  patience 
pazzo  mad 

peccato  m.  sin ;  what  a  pity 
pfggio  worse  {adv.) 
peggiore  worse  {adj.) 
pei,  pel,  75 
Pf  lie  /.  skin 
pellegrino  m.  pilgrim 
penna/.  pen;  «v)  a  serbatoio  fountain 

pen 
pensare  think,  reflect ;  ~  a  think  of 
pensi^ro  w.  thought;  dar~a  worry 

{tr.) ;  stare  in  ~  worry  {intr.) 


290 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


pensione  f.  board ;  boarding-house ; 
boarding-school 

pentirsi  repent 

per  for ;  per  uno  apiece 

pera  /.  pear 

perche  why;  because  ;  so  that 

perci^  therefore 

pfrdere  lose 

peregrinare  wander,  go  on  pilgrim- 
age 

pericolo  m.  danger 

pericoloso  dangerous 

permesso  m.  permission,  permit  me 

permettere  permit 

pero  m.  pear-tree 

perQ  however 

perseguitare  persecute 

persona  /.  person 

pesante  heavy 

p^sco  m.  peach-tree 

pfssimo  worst 

Petrarca  Petrarch 

Pftto  m.  breast 

p^zzo  m.  piece 

piacere   a   (185)    please ;    per  <v. 
please ;  far  cv)  a  do  a  favor  for 

piaggia/.  slope 

piangere  weep 

pianista  m.  pianist 

piano  m.  plain ;  adv.  softly,  gently 

pianta  /.  plant 

piattino  {m.)  da  tazza  saucer 

piatto  m.  plate,  dish;  course 

piazza  /.  square,  open  place 

piccino  tiny 

piccolo  small 

pi^de  m.  foot;  a  pifdi  on  foot 

pi?ga  /.  plait 

il  Piempnte  Piedmont 

piemontese  Piedmontese 


pifno  full 

pif  tra  /.  stone 

pigliare  take 

pigvere  rain 

pittore  m.  painter,  artist 

pill  more 

piuma  f.  plume 

piuglo  w.rung;  8calaapiu9li  ladder 

piuttgsto  rather 

pneumatico  m.  tire 

P9C0  adv.  little,  a  little  ;  //.  pgchi  adj. 

few,  a  few ;  a  o^  a  ev  little  by  little 
po^ta  m.  poet 
poetare  poetize 
pgi  then 

poich^  since  {causal) 
politica  /  politics 
politico  «<^'.  political ;  w.  statesman 
polvere  /.  powder 
pomeridiano  of  the  afternoon 
pompare  pump 
ponte  w.  bridge 
pontificio  papal,  pontifical 
PQpolo  fn.  people 
pgrgere  stretch  out 
porre  (196)  put 
pgrta  /.  door,  gate 
portare  carry 
portata  /.  reach,   ability ;    a  <^  di 

mano  within  reach  of  one's  hand 
PQirto  m.  harbor 
posata  /.  place  at  table,  cover 
posizione  /  position,  location 
possibile  possible 
possibilita  /  possibility 
PQSSO  /  sg.  pres.  ind.  of-potete 
ppsta  /.  post,  mail ;  a  ~  on  purpose 
postale  postal ;  cartolina  c^  post  card 
postino  m.  postman 
posto  ;//.  place,  room 


291 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


potere  (168)  can,  be  able ;  non  ~  a 

meno  di  cannot  help 
potrfbbero  s  pl-  paUfut.  of  potere 
PQvero  poor 
poverty/  poverty 
pranzare  dine 
pranzo  m.  dinner 
pratica  /.  practice 
pratico    practical ;   ^x^  di   familiar 

with 
prato  m.  meadow 
preferire  prefer 
pregare  ask,  pray 
pr§gio  m.  value 
pr§gO  don't  mention  it 
prf  ndere    take ;    prendersela    take 

offense 
preoccuparsi  di  be  concerned  with 
preparare  prepare 
presentare  present 
presid^nte  w.  president 
prestare  lend 
presto  quickly,  soon 
presumere  assume 
prevalere  (220)  prevail 
prezioso  precious 
prfzzo  7n.  price 
prigione  /.  prison 
prima  before,  earlier ;  quanto  ~  as 

soon  as  possible ;  03  che  conj.  w. 

subj.  before  ;  ~  di  prep,  before 
primavgra  /.  spring 
primitivo  primitive 
primo  first 
principale  principal 
principe  m.  prince 
principessa  /.  princess 
principiare  begin 
principio  m.  beginning;   fin  dal  ^ 

from  the  first 


problfma  m.  problem 

produzione  /.  produc^on 

professore  m.  professor 

profondamente  profoundly 

proibire  prevent,  forbid 

promettere  promise 

pronto  ready ;  all  aboard 

proprietli  /.  property 

pr9prio  own;  exactly 

prgva  /.  trial ;  fitting 

provare  try,  try  on 

prud^nte  prudent 

pulire  clean 

punire  punish 

puntare  aim 

punto  m.  point 

purch^  conj.  w.  subj.  provided  that 

pure  however;  pray 

purgatgrio  m.  purgatory 

qua  here 

quad^rno  m.  note-book 

quadrettino  ?n.  check 

quadro  ?n.  picture 

qualche  {sg.  only)  some 

quale,  -i,  such  as 

qualora  whenever 

qualunque  whatever 

quando  when 

quanto  how  much ;  in  ~  a  as  for, 

regarding ;  per  ~  however 
quaranta  forty 
quarto  m.  quarter,  fourth 
quattordici  fourteen 
quattro  four 
quello   that;  quel  che  that  which, 

what 
querela  /.  oak 
questo     this ;     quest'   altro     next, 

coming 


292 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


qui^te  /.  quiet 
quindici  fifteen 
quinto  fifth 

raccomandare  mend ;  recommend ; 
raccomandarsi  warn,  urge 

raccomandazipne/.  warning,  recom- 
mendation 

raccontare  narrate 

rado  rare  ;  di  ~  seldom 

raffreddpre  m.  cold ;  prfndere  un  cv) 
catch  cold 

ragazza  /  girl 

ragazzo  m.  boy 

ragione  /.  reason ;  aver  ~  be  right 

rallentare  slacken  speed 

rame  w.  copper,  brass 

rappresentare  represent 

re  m.  king 

reale  royal 

recare  bring,  take ;  recarsi  take  one's 
way 

recf nte  recent ;  di  ~  recently 

recluta  /.  recruit 

redimere  redeem 

redingote  {Fr.)f.  frock-coat 

rfggere  rule 

R?ggio  a  city  in  northern  Italy 

regina  f.  queen 

regnante  m.  ruler 

regno  m.  kingdom 

relative  relating 

r^mo  m.  oar;  baica  a  ~  row-boat 

R?no  Rhine 

repubblicano  republican 

resist^nza  f.  resistance 

restare  remain 

Ffsto  m.  rest;  change  (money) 

rete  /  net 

rf  tta  /.  heed  ;  dar  ~  give  heed 


riabbracciare  embrace  again 

riaprire  reopen 

riavere  recover,  get  back 

ricco  rich 

ricevere  receive 

richifdere  demand 

ricontare  count  over 

ricordarsi  di  remember 

ridare  give  again,  give  back 

ridere  laugh 

ridlcolo  ridiculous 

rifare  remake,  rebuild 

rifiutare  refuse 

rigato  striped 

rigorpso  rigorous 

rimanere  (129)  remain 

rimfdio  ??i.  remedy;  non  c'  |  «>»  there 

is  no  help  for  it 
rimproverare  reprove 
rimprgvero  m.  reproof 
rincrescere  impers.  pain,  cause  sor 

row ;  mi  rincresce  I'm  sorry 
rinomato  famous 
rinunziare  a  renounce 
riparare  take  refuge 
ripftere  repeat 
risata  /.  laugh,  laughter 
rischio  w.  risk 
riso  m.  laugh 

risorgimento  m.  resurrection 
risparmiare  save,  spare 
rispettabile  respectable 
risppndere  respond 
risultato  m.  result 
ritornare  return 
ritratto  m.  portrait 
riunire  assemble 
riuscire  (204)  succeed 
rivedere    see    again ;    a    rivederla 

au  revoir 


293 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


rivoltare  turn  back 

rivoluzionario  revolutionary 

rgba  {collective)  f.  things 

rocchetto  m.  spool 

Rpma  Rome  « 

romanzo  m.  novel 

rompere  break 

TQsa  f.  rose 

IQSSO  red 

IQta  /  virheel 

rotare  (110,  d)  turn 

rovfscio  m.  reverse  side;  a  ~  up- 
side down;  pi9vere  a  cv)  rain  in 
torrents 

rozzo  rough 

rumorpso  noisy 

sabato  in.  Saturday 

sacco  m.  bag 

sacrifizio  m.  sacrifice 

sacro  sacred 

sala/.  hall ;  cvj  da  pranzo  dining-room 

salire  go  up 

salita  f.  rise,  slope 

salone  m.  parlor 

salgtto  m.  sitting-room 

saltare  in  aria  be  blown  up 

salutare  salute 

salute  /.  health,  safety,  salvation 

saluto  m.  greeting 

salvare  save 

salvezza  /.  safety 

salvo  safe ;  in  ~  in  safety 

sangue  m.  blood 

santo  m.  saint ;  adj.  holy 

santo,  san,  Saint 

sapere    (132)   learn,  know,  know 

how ;  ~  di  smack  of 
sapifnte  wise 
saracino  Saracen 


sarta  f.  dressmaker 

sarto  m.  tailor 

savio  wise 

la  SavQia  Savoy 

sbadigliare  yawn 

sbagliare  make  a  mistake 

sbarazzare  rid 

sbarcare  land 

sbarco  m.  disembarkation 

sbattere  rout 

scaffale  m.  shelf 

scala  /.  stair ;  ~  a  chigcciola  winding 

stair ;  ~  a  piugli  ladder 
scalino  m.  step  of  stair 
scarafaggio  m.  beetle 
scarico  rundown;  free, unburdened 
Scarpa  f.  shoe 
scatola  /.  box 
scegliere  (211)  choose 
scellerato  criminal 
scendere  descend 
schianto  m.  crash 
schiQppO  m.  gun 
sci^nza  /.  science 
scintilla  /.  spark 
sciglto  loose 
sciQpero  m.  strike 
sciupare  spoil 
scpglio  m.  reef 
scolare  m.  pupil 
scolastico  scholastic 
scoUato  low-necked 
scommessa  /.  wager 
scompartimento  m.  compartment 
scgpo  m.  purpose 
scoppiare  burst 
scoprire  discover 
scorso  last,  past 

scozzese  Scotch ;  checked,  plaid 
scricchiolare  creak 


294 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


scrittore  w.  writer 

scrivere  write 

scudo  m.  shield 

scuQla  /.  school 

scuQtere  (110,  d,  i)  shake 

scuro  dark 

scusa  /.  excuse 

se  if 

S^  3  sg.  and  pi.  disj.  refl. 

sebb^ne  conj.  w.  subj.  although 

sfcolo  m.  century 

secondo  second  ;  prep,  according  to 

sedere  sit 

sedici  sixteen 

sf  ggiola  /.  chair 

segno  m.  sign 

segreto  m.  secret 

seguire  follow 

seguitare  follow 

Sfi  six 

seicf  nto  six  hundred 

selva  /.  forest 

selvaggio  wild,  savage 

sembrare  seem 

semplice  simple 

s^mpre  always 

senatore  m.  senator 

S§nna  /.  Seine 

sentimento  jn.  sentiment 

sentin^Ua  /.  sentinel 

sentire  feel 

sfnza  without 

sepolcreto  m.  cemetery 

sera  /  evening ;  bu^na  exa  good  after- 
noon, good  evening 

serbatoio  m.  reservoir;  penna  a  «>» 
fountain  pen 

serenamente  serenely 

sf  rio  serious ;  sul  ~  seriously 

serrare  lock 


servire  serve ;  e>3  di  serve  as ;  ser- 
virsi  di  make  use  of 

servizio,  servizino,  m.  service 

sessanta  sixty 

Sfsto  sixth 

seta  /.  silk 

sete  /.  thirst ;  aver  ~  be  thirsty 

settanta  seventy 

Sftte  seven 

sett^mbre  m.  September 

settimana  /.  week 

sfttimo  seventh 

sfacciato  bold 

sgonfio  empty,  flat,  deflated 

sgridare  scold 

si  3  sg.  and  pi.  refl.  pron. 

si  yes;  so 

sia  sg.  subj.  of  fssere 

siamo  /  //.  pres.  ind.  of  fssere 

siccome  as,  since 

la  Sicilia  Sicily 

sicuro  sure 

signora  /.   lady,   married  woman, 
Mrs. 

signore  m.  gentleman,  sir,  Mr, 

signorina/  young  lady,  unmarried 
woman.  Miss 

silfnzio  m.  silence 

simbolo  m.  symbol 

simpatico   nice,  sympathetic,  con- 
genial 

sinceritll  /.  sincerity 

sincfio  sincere 

singulto  m.  sob 

sinistro  left 

slittare  slide 

smarrirsi  lose  one's  way 

sociale  social 

socialista  m.  socialist 

sodisfatto  satisfied 


'95 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


s^do  hard,  solid  •  cappello  ~  Derby 

hat 
soffrire  suffer 

soggftto  adj.  subject ;  m.  subject 
soggezione  /.  subjection  ;  timidity, 

embarrassment ;  aver  ~  be  timid, 

nervous 
SQglia  /.  threshold 
sognare  dream 
SQgno  m.  dream 
soldato  m.  soldier 
sole  m.  sun 
sol^nne  solemn 
SQlito  :  per  il  ^n?  usually ;  come  al  o^ 

as  usual 
solitudine  /  solitude 
solo  single,  only  {adj.) 
SOltanto  only  {adv.) 
SQmma  /.  sum 
sommo  highest,  supreme 
sonare  (110,  d)  ring,  play 
sonnecchiare  nap 
sonno  m.  sleep ;  aver  ~  be  sleepy 
soprabito  m.  overcoat 
soprattutto  above  all 
soprawivere  survive 
sorbire  sip 
sorf  Ua  /.  sister 
sorellina  /.  little  sister 
sorpresa  /.  surprise 
SQite  /.  kind  ;  lot 
sortire  go  out 
sostegno  m.  support 
sottana  /.  petticoat,  skirt 
sotterraneo  underground 
sotto  under 
la  Spagna  Spain 
spagnuglo  Spanish 
spalla  /.  shoulder 
sparare  fire 


spargef*^  scatter 

sparire  disappear 

spasso  m.  walk ;    andare  a  <>»  go  to 
walk 

spaventare  frighten 

spazzola  /.  brush 

speciale  special 

sp|cie  /.  kind,  sort;   far  ~  a    sur- 
prise 

speculatore  m.  speculator 

spedale  m.  hospital 

spedire  send 

speditamente  fluently 

sperare  hope 

spesa  /.  expense 

spesso  often 

spettacolo  m.  spectacle 

spezzare  destroy,  tear  to  pieces 

spia  /.  spy 

spicciarsi  hasten 

spiegare  unfold 

spirito  m.  spirit 

spQigersi  lean  out 

sport^Uo    7n.  ticket  window,  car 
window 

sta'  2  sg.  imper.  of  stare 

stagione  f.  season  ;    mezza  "^  be- 
tween seasons 

stamane  this  morning 

stampa  /  press 

stancarsi  become  tired 

stanco  tired 

stangtte  to-night ;  last  night 

stanza  f.  room 

stare  (166)  be,  stay  ;  ~  di  casa  re- 
side 

starnutire  sneeze 

starg  /  sg.fut.  ind.  ^  stare 

stasera  this  evening ;  this  afternoon 

stato  m.  state 


596 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


statute  m.  constitution 
stazione  /.  station 
Stefano  Stephen 
sterzare  turn  (a  vehicle) 
stesso  same,  self;  io  ~  I  myself 
stimare  consider 
stivale  m.  boot 
stgffa  /.  goods 
stgria  /.  history,  story 
strada/.  road;  ~sotterranea  under- 
ground railway 
strage  /.  butchery 
stranifie  m.  foreigner,  alien 
straordinario  extraordinary 
strapazzo  m.  abuse 
strfpito  m.  noise 
stretto  narrow ;  /./.  of  stringere 
stringa  f.  shoe-lace 
stringere  squeeze,  press 
strumento  m.  instrument 
studiare  study 
stiidio  m.  study 
studipso  studious 
stupefatto  amazed 
su,  sur  (39),  on;  above 
subito  immediately 
sublime  sublime 
succfdere  a  succeed  (/r.) 
succhiare  suck 

sugli,  sui,  sul,  sullo,  sulla,  75 
suo  his,  her 

suQcero  m.  father-in-law 
suqIo  m.  soil 

superipre  upper,  superior 
superiorita  /  superiority 
suppllzio  m.  execution,  torture 
supremo  supreme 
svegliare  waken 
sventura  /.  misfortune 
svizzero  Swiss 


svogliato  unenthusiastic,  unwilling 
svoltare  swerve 

tacco  m.  heel  of  shoe 
tacere(185;  i  pLind.pres.ta.ciajnQ) 

be  silent 
tagliare  cut 
tale  such  ;  un  ««  such  a 
Tamigi  Thames 
tanto,  -i,  so  much,  so  many 
tardi  late ;  far  cv>  be  late 
tasca  f.  pocket 
tassa  /.  tax 
tavola  /.  table 
tazza/I  cup 
t|  m.  tea 
teatro  m.  theater 
tedesco  German 
tela  /.  linen 
telefonare  telephone 
t^ma  m.  theme 
tema  /.  fear 
temere  fear 
t§mpo   m.  time,  weather ;   a  <»  on 

time ;  per  ~  early ;  col  ~  in  time, 

in  the  course  of  time ;  fa  bf  1  <x>  it 

is  fine  weather 
tenere  hold 
terminare  terminate 
termosifpne  m.  hot- water  furnace 
t^rra  /.  earth 
terrazza  /.  balcony 
terribile  terrible 
territprio  m.  territory 
tfizo  third 
tesa  /.  hat-brim 
t^sta  /.  head 
Tevere  m.  Tiber 
ti,  te,  thee 
tif  ne  J  sg-.  ind.  pres.  of  tenere 


297 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


tingere  tinge ;  tingersi  be  colored 

tipico  typical 

tirannia  /.  tyranny 

tiranno  m.  tyrant 

tirare  pull;   ~  vento  blow;    ~  via 

continue 
toccare  touch ;  ~  a  concern,  be  the 

turn  of 
tQCCO  m.  stroke  of  bell;  al  ~  at  one 

P.M. 

Tommaso  Thomas 

tonare  (110,  d)  thunder 

tgno  m.  tone,  tint 

tornaconto  m.  advantage 

tornare   return ;  ~  conto  (a)   come 

out  right,  be  of  advantage  (to) 
tprre  /.  tower 
torrfnte  m,  torrent 
tQito  m.  wrong ;  aver  ~  be  wrong 
la  Toscana  Tuscany 
tossire  cough 
tovaglia  /.  tablecloth 
tra  between,  among 
tradimento  m.  betrayal,  treachery 
tradire  betray 
traditore,  -tora  or  -trice,  traitor, 

traitress 
tranne  except ;  cv>  che  conj.  w.  sitbj. 

except  that 
trattare    treat;  trattarsi   di    be   a 

question  of 
tratto  m.  trait ;   a  un  o^  suddenly, 

all  at  once 
traversare  cross 
travestire  disguise 
tre  three 

tredicfsimo  thirteenth 
tredici  thirteen 
tremare  tremble 
trem^ndo  tremendous 


tr^no  m.  train 
trenta  thirty 
tricolore  tri- colored  ' 
tripnfo  m.  triumph 
triplice  triple 
triple  triple 
tristezza/.  sadness 
trgppo  too,  too  much 
trovare  find 
truppe  /.  //.  troops 
tu  thou 
tuo  thy 

tugno  m.  thunder 
Turco  Turk 
tutto  all 

ubbidire  a  obey 

ubriaco  drunk 

ucc^llo  m.  bird 

udire  (192)  hear 

ufficiale  m.  officer 

uguale  equal,  exactly  like 

iiltimo  last 

umano  human 

un  a,  one 

undfcimo  eleventh 

iindici  eleven 

unico  only,  unique 

unita  /.  union 

unito  united 

university  /.  university 

uno  (59,  6),  un,  una,  a,  one 

UQmo  m.  {pi.  U9mini)  man 

ugpo  m.  need ;  §  d'  <>3,  fa  d'  ~,  it  is 

necessary 
ugvo  m.  {pi.  UQva)  egg 
urlo  m.  howl 
urtare  hurl 

uscio  m.  exit,  doorway 
uscire  (204)  go  out 


298 


ITALIAN-ENGLISH  VOCABULARY 


uscita  /  exit 
uva  f.  grape 

va  goes ;  vabbene  very  well 

vacanza  /.  vacation 

vacca/.  cow 

valere   (220)  be  worth;  valersi  di 

avail  oneself  of 
valigia  /.  valise 
valle  /.  valley 
vampiro  m.  vampire 
yanno  3  pi.  ind.pres.  ^andare 
vasto  vast 
v?cchio  old 
vede  sees 
vedere  see ;  non  cv.  i»  ora  di  not  be 

able  to  wait  to,  long  to 
vedetta/  sentinel 
vela  f.  sail ;  far  ~  set  sail 
vendemmia  /.  vintage 
vendere  sell 
vendita  /.  sale 
venerdi  w.  Friday 
Ven^zia  Venice 
veneziano  Venetian 
venire  (138)  come 
ventaglio  m.  fan 
venti  twenty 

v^nto  771.  wind  ;  tirar  ev)  blow 
veramente  truly 
verde  green 
vergQgna  f.  shame 
vergognarsi  be  ashamed 
verita  /  truth 
vero  true 
v§rso  towards 
vestiario    th.  wardrobe;   rgba  da~ 

clothing 
vestirsi  dress  oneself 
vestito,  vestitino,  m.  dress 


vettura  /.  carriage 

vi,  Ve,  adv.  =  ci;  prott.  you  {dai. 
and  ace.) 

via  adv.  off,  away ;  ^  via  dicf ndo  et 
cetera 

via  f.  street 

viaggiare  travel 

viaggiatpre  771.  traveler 

viaggio  771.  journey ;  buQn  03  a  pleas- 
ant journey  to  you 

vic^nda  f.  turn  ;  a  ~  in  turn 

vicino  771.  neighbor ;  cv)  a  prep,  near 

vi^ni  2  sg.  pres.  i7td.  of  venire 

vile  cowardly 

villa  /.  country-place 

vincere  conquer,  win 

vinto  p.p.  o/ymceTe 

virtti  /.  virtue,  power 

visita  /.  visit;  fare  una  ~  a  call 
upon 

visitare  visit 

viso  7n.  face 

vista  /.  view ;  far  ~  di  make  a  pre- 
tense of 

visto  /./.  ^vedere 

vita  /.  life 

vite  /.  grape-vine 

vittima  /.  victim 

vittgria  /.  victory 

Vittgrio  Emanugle  Victor  Emman- 
uel 

vittoripso  victorious 

vivacity  /.  vivacity 

vivere  live,  be  alive 

vivo  alive 

vogliamo  i  pi.  pres.  i7td.  ^volere 

VQglio  /  sg.  pres.  tTid.  ^volere 

vpi  you 

VOlante  771.  steering-wheel 

VOlenti^ri  gladly,  willingly 


299 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 

volere  (133)  wish,  will ;  cv>  bene  a  Vossignoria  /.  Your  Lordship 

love  VQstro  your 

volont^  f.  will  VUQle  3  sg.  pres.  ind.  ofvoX^x^ 
VQlta  /.  time,  a  time ;  una  ~  once 

VOltarsi  turn  {intr.)  zia  /.  aunt 

voluto  desired,  willed;  /./.  of  vo-  zio  m.  uncle 

lere  zitto  hush 


300 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


a,  an,  un,  uno,  una 
able  capace  ;  be  ~  potere 
aboard  a  bordo  ;  all  ~  pronti 
about  prep,  intorno  a,  dintorno  a ; 

adv.  circa ;  be  ~  to  star  per 
absurd  assurdo 
abuse  strapazzo  m. 
accept  accettare 
accompany  accompagnare 
according  to  secondo 
account  bilancio  m. 
accustom  avvezzare,  abituare 
ache  dolere 

acquaintance  conosc^nza/. 
acquainted  with  :  be  o^  conoscere 
acquire  acquistare 
act  agire 

Adriatic  adj.  adriatico 
advantage  vantaggio,tomaconto  »/.; 

be  of  ~  to  tornar  conto  a 
advice  consiglio  tn. 
adviser  consigli^re  m. 
affair  affare  vi. 
affectionate  affezionato 
afraid  :  be  ~  (of)  aver  paura  (di) 
after  prep,  dopo ;  conj.  dopo  che 
afternoon  dopopranzo  m. ;  adj.  po- 

meridiano  ;  good  ~  buQna  sera 
afterward  dope 
again  di  nuijvo 
against  contro,  contra 
age  eta/. ;  at  the  ~  of  in  eta  di 
ago  fa,  or  sono 


agree  accordarsi 

ahead  avanti ;  straight  ev  diritto 

aim  puntare 

air  aria/. 

alive  vivo 

all  tutto ;  above  ~  soprattutto 

already  gia 

also  anche 

alter  alterare 

always  s^mpre 

amazed  stupefatto 

ambition  ambizione/. 

America  1'  America/. 

American  americano 

among  tra,  fra 

amuse  divertire;  ~  oneself  divertirsi 

ancient  antico,  -chi 

and  e,  ed 

anger  c^llera/ 

annoy  dar  ngia  a 

annoyance  nQia/. 

anthology  antologia/. 

any  adj.  alcuno ;  proji.  ne 

anything  qualunque  CQsa,  ogni  cgsa 

apartment  appartamento  m. 

apiece  per  uno 

appear  comparire 

apple  porno  m.  ;  mela/ 

approach  avvicinarsi  a 

April  aprile  m. 

Aristotle  Arist9tile 

arm  braccio  m. 

arms  ^xmxf.pl. 


301 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


army  es^rcito  m. 

arrangement  ordinamento  m. 

arrive  arrivare,  giungere,  parvenire 

art  arte/ 

artist  artista  c. 

as  siccome  ;  cv>  for  in  quanto  a 

ashamed :  be  ~  vergognarsi 

ask  (for)  domandare  (di) 

assemble  riunirsi 

assume  presumere 

at  a,  ad 

attention :  pay  ~  stare  att^nto 

attentive  att^nto 

attract  attrarre 

August  agosto  m. 

Augustine  Agostino 

aunt  zia/. 

Austrian  austrlaco 

author  autore,  scrittore  m. 

automobile  automobile  c. 

autumn  autunno  m. 

avail  oneself  (of)  valersi  (di) 

avoid  evitare 

await  attf  ndere,  aspettare 

away  via 

baby  bimbo,  -a 

back  dQsso  m.-,  at  the  ~  of  in  fondo 

a ;  on  the  ~  of  add^sso  a 
bad  cattivo  ;  too  ~ !  peccato  ! 
badly  male 
bag  sacco  m.,  borsa/. 
baggage   bagaglio  m.-,   oo  room  ba- 

gagliaio,  dep^sito  m. 
baker  fornaio  m. 
balcony  terrazza/. 
ball  palla/. 
band  banda/. 
basket  pani^re  m. 
bath  bagno  m. 


battle  battaglia/. 

be  ^ssere 

beach  spiaggiay*. 

bearings  see  compass 

beat  battere 

beautiful  b^llo 

beauty  bellezza/. 

because  perche 

become  diventare,  divenire 

bed  I^tto  m. 

bed-room  camera  (/.)  da  l^tto 

bee  apey. 

beetle  scarafaggio  m. 

before    {time)    adv.    prima;   prep. 

prima  di ;    conj.  prima  che 
before  {place)  prep,  innanzi  a,  di- 

nanzi  a,  davanti  a ;  adv.  avanti, 

innanzi 
begin  cominciare,  principiare 
beginning  princlpio  m. 
behind  adv.  indi^tro,  di^tro  ;  prep. 

di^tro  a 
Belgian  b^lga 
Belgium  il  B^lgio 
believe  credere 
belong  appartenere 
below  prep,  sotto  ;  adv.  abbasso 
benefit  benefizio  m. 
best  adj.  il  migliore ;  adv.  il  m^glio ; 

do  one's  e^   fare  di  tutto.  fare  il 

possibile 
betray  tradire 

better  adj.  migliore ;  adv.  m^glio 
between  fra 

beyond  prep,  al  di  la  di,  di  la  da,  oltre 
big  grgsso 
bill  conto  m. 
bird  ucc^llo  m. 
birthday  giorno  natale,  complean- 


302 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


black  nero 

blame   colpa  /. ;  v.  biasmare,  dare 
add^sso  a 

blind  ci^co 

blood  sangue  m. 

bloom  fiorire  ;  in  ~  fiorito 

blotter  cartasuga,  cartasugante/! 

blow  tirar  v^nto ;  ~  up  saltare  in  aria 

blue  azzurro,  celeste 

board,   boarding-house,   boarding- 
school,  pensioney. 

boat  barca/. 

boil  bollire 

bold  ardito 

book  libro  m. 

bookseller  libraio  m. 

boot    stivale    m. ;    oablack    lustra- 
scarpe  m. 

born  nato ;  be  ev>  nascere 

both  tutt'  e  due,  entrambi 

bottom  fpndo  m.-,  at  the  «^  of  in 
fondo  a 

boundary  confine  m. 

bouquet  mazzolino  m. 

Bourbon  Borbone  m. 

box  scatola/. 

boy  ragazzo  m. 

brain  cerv^llo  m. 

breach  breccia y. 

bread  pane  m. 

break  rompere 

breast  p^tto  m. 

bridge  ponte  m. 

brim  (hat-)  tesa/. 

bring  portare 

Britannic  britannico 

brother  frat^llo  m. 

brother-in-law  cognato  m. 

brush  spazzola/. 

bunch  mazzolino  m. 


burn  ardere,  bruciare 

but  ma 

butchery  strage/. 

butter  burro  m. 

buy  comprare 

by  da  ;  (beside)  accanto  a 

oaf  6  caff^  m. 
cake  pasta/. 
call  chiamare  ;  ~  on  far  visita  a ;  be 

called  chiamarsi 
can,  be  able,  potere 
cane  bastone  m. 
cannon  cannone  m. 
caress  carezza/". 
carnation  gar^fano  m. 
carriage  carrpzza,  vetturay*., legno  m. 
carry  portare 

case  caso  m.\  in  any  ~  in  ogni  case 
cash  :  in  «v)  a  contanti 
castle  Castillo  m. 
cathedral  duQmo  m.,  cattedrale/". 
cease  cessare  [cimit^ro  m. 

cemetery  sepolcreto,  campo  santo, 
central  centrale 
century  sf  colo  m. 
ceremony :  stand  on  ev>  far  compli- 

menti 
chair  s^ggiola/. 
change  mutare,  cambiare ;  ~  one's 

mind  mutardi  pensi^ro ;  n.  (money) 

r^sto  m. 
chapter  capltolo  m. 
charcoal-burner  carbonaro  m. 
Charles  Carlo 
chase  cacciare 
chat  chiacchierare 
cheek  guancia/". 
child  fanciullo,  -a,  bambino,  -a 
chocolate  cioccolata/. 


303 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


choose  scegliere 

Christian  cristiano 

Christmas    Natale   ni.\   Merry  05 

BuQn  Natale 
Christopher  Crist^foro 
church  chi^sa/. 
citizen  cittadino  m. 
city  citta/. 
civilization  civilt^/. 
civilized  civile 

clap  (one's  hands)  battere  (le  mani) 
Clara  Chiara 
class  classey. 
classic  classico 
close  chiudere 
coast  cQsta/". 
coffee  caff^  m. 
coin  moneta/. 
cold  freddo ;  be  ~  aver  freddo ;  it 

is  ~  fa  freddo ;  catch  cv>  pr^ndere 

un  raffreddore 
collar  collare  m.-,  coat~  bavero  m. 
college  {of  University)  facolta/". 
color  colore  zw. ;  be  colored  tingersi 
Columbus  Colombo 
come  venire 
comfortable  c^modo ;  make  oneself 

e>3  accomodarsi 
command  comandare,  ordinare 
commence  cominciare 
communicate  comunicare 
companion  compagno,  -a 
compartment  scompartimento  m. 
compass  bussola/. 
complain  lagnarsi 
compliment  complimento  m. 
condition  condizione  /. ;  on  ~  that 

a  patto  che  {w.  subj.) 
conduct  condurre 
conductor  guardia/. 


congenial  simpatico 

connecting  comunicante 

conqueror  conquistatore  m. 

consciousness  cosci^nza/ 

consist  (of)  consistere  (in) 

constitution  statuto  m. 

consul  console  m. 

continue  continuare 

contrary    contrario  ;   on  the  ~   in- 

vece 
convenient  c^modo 
conversation  conversazione/. 
cook  cuQCO  m.;  v.  cu^cere,  fare  la 

cucina 
cookery  cucina/. 
copper  rame  m. 
corner   angolo  m.;  be  at  the  ~  of 

far  angolo  con 
corporal  caporale  m. 
correct  corrlgere 
correspond  corrispondere 
cost  costare 
cotton  cotone  m. 
cough  tossire 

count  conte  m. ;  v.  contare 
countess  contessa/ 
country  [rural)  campagna/;  [polii.) 

paese  m. ;  {fatherland)  patria/. 
couple  CQppia/ 
courage  coraggio  m. 
course  corsa/;  of  ~  naturalmente 
cousin  cugino,  -a 
cover  coprire 
cow  vacca/ 
cowardly  vile 
crane  gru  c. 
criminal  scellerato 
crusade  crociata/ 
cry  grido  m.;  v.  gridare 
cup  tazza/ 


304 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


cut  tagliare 
Cyrus  Giro 

daily  quotidiano 

dairy  cascina/. 

damage  danno  m. ;  v.  dannare 

danger  perlcolo  m. 

dangerous  pericoloso 

dark  buio  m. ;  adj.  scuro 

daughter  figlia/. 

daughter-in-law  nu^ra/. 

dawn  alba/. 

day  giorno  m. ;  period  of  a  03  gior- 

natay. ;  oi  by  ~  giprno  a  giorno  ; 

by  the  "^^    a  giornata ;    by  <>3    di 

giorno 
daybreak :  at  f>3  sul  far  del  giorno 
dead  mgrto 
dear  caro 
death  mgrte/. 
deceit  inganno  m. 
December  dic^mbre  m. 
declare  dichiarare 
defeat  sconfitta/. 
defend  diffndere 
defense  difesa/. 
degenerate  degenerare 
demand  richi^dere 
depart  partire 
depress  deprimere 
descend  scendere 
desire  desidero  m. ;  v.  desiderare 
desired  voluto 
dessert  dolce  m. 
dialogue  dialogo  in. 
die  morire 
difficult  difficile 
dine  desinare,  pranzare 
dining-room  sala/.  da  pranzo 
dint :  by  «v)  of  a  fprza  di 


direct  dirlgere 

direction  direzione 

disagreeable  sgradevole 

disappear  sparire 

discover  scoprire 

disembarkation  sbarco  m. 

disguise  travestire 

dish  piatto  m. 

displease  dispiacere  a 

distant  lontano,  disc^sto 

disturb  disturbare 

divide  divldere 

do  fare  ;  aux.  62,  6,  i ;  how  do  you  «v)? 

come  sta  ? 
dog  cane  m. 
domestic  domfstico 
done  fatto 
door  pprta/. 
double  doppio 

doubt  diibbio  w. ;  v.  dubitare 
down  gill ;  cv>  there  laggiu,  costaggiu ; 

<v>town  al  c^ntro;  ~  stairs  abbasso 
dozen  dozzinay". 
dramatic  drammatico 
dream  sogno  m. ;  v.  sognare 
dress  vestito  in.\  ~  oneself  vestirsi 
dressmaker  sarta/. 
drive  condurre  ;  ~  out  cacciare 
drunk  ubriaco  [ducato  m. 

duchy   ducato  m. ;   grand  fv)  gran- 
duke  duca  m. 
dumpling  gn9Cco  m. 
duty  dovere  m. 
dwell  abitare,  dimorare 

each  ciascuno 
ear  orecchio  m. 
early  per  t^mpo 
earth  t^rra/. 
east  levante  m. 


305 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Easter  Pasqua/ 

eastern  orientale 

easy  facile 

echo  ^co  c. 

effect  effettuare 

egg  uQvo  m. 

eight  9tto 

eighteen  dici9tto 

eighteenth  d^cimo  ottavo 

eighth  ottavo 

eighty  ottanta 

elbow  gomito  m. 

elder  maggiore 

elect  elfggere 

elegant  elegante 

eleven  undici 

eleventh  undic^simo 

elm  olmo  m. 

embrace  abbracciare 

emperor  imperatore  m. 

empire  imp^ro  m. 

end  fine/". ;  at  the  ~  of  in  fondo  a 

endow  dotare 

enemy  nemico  m. 

England  1'  Inghilt^rra/. 

English  inglese 

enough  assai,  bastante ;  be  os  bastare 

enter  entrare 

entrance  entrata/. 

enumerate  annoverare 

envelope  busta/. 

equal  uguale 

era  ?ra/. 

establish  stabilire,  istituire 

etcetera    e   cosi  in  seguito,  e  via 

dic^ndo 
Etruscan  etrusco 
even    adj.  pari ;    adv.  pure ;    not  ~ 

neppure 
evening  serayi;  good  ~  bu^na  sera 


ever  mai 
every  ogni 

everybody  ognuno,  tutti 
everything  tutto 
everywhere  dappertutto 
evil  male  m. 
except  tranne 
excursion  gita/. 
excuse  scusare 
execution  supplizio  m. 
executioner  bQia  m. 
exercise-book  quad^rno  m. 
exile  esilio  m.\  v.  esiliare 
exit  uscita/. 
expense  spesay. 
expose  esporre 
express  esprimere 

face   faccia  /. ;   v.  far  fronte  a ;   on 

one's  ~  bocconi 
fact :  in  cv)  infatti 

fail  fallire  [t?mpo 

fair   b^llo ;   it  is  ~  weather   fa  b^l 
faith  fede/. 
falcon  falco  m. 

fall  cadere ;  ~  upon  avventarsi  su 
family  famiglia/. 
famous  famoso,  rinomato 
fan  ventaglio  m. 
fat  grasso 
father  padre  m. 
father-in-law  su^cero  m. 
fatigue  fatica/. 
fault  colpa/. 

favor  favore  m.\  v.  favorire 
fear    paura  /,  timore  in.\   v.  aver 

paura,  temere 
February  febbraio  m. 
feel  sentire 
felt  feltro  m. 


[o6 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


festival  f §sta/. 

few  pQchi,  -e 

fidelity  fedelta/. 

fifteen  quindici 

fifteenth  quindicfsimo 

fifth  quinto 

fifty  cinquanta 

fig  fico  m. 

fight  combattere 

figure  figurare 

finally  finalmente 

find  trovare 

fine  b^llo ;  fino 

finger  dito  m. 

finish  finite,  terminare 

fire  fuQCO  m.\  V.  sparare;  set  on  ~ 

dar  fu9CO  a 
first  primo 
fitting  prQva/. 
five  cinque 
flag  bandi^ra/. 
flee  fuggire 
Florence  Fir^nze 
Florentine  fiorentino 
flower  fiore  tn. 
fluently  speditamente 
fog  nebbia/ 
folk  g?nte/. 
follow  seguire,  seguitare 
foot  pi^de  ;w. ;  on  ~  a  pi^di 
footstool  panchetto  m. 
for  per ;  {time)  da  ;  as  <^  in  quanto  a 
force  fQrza/. 
forced  forzato 
foreign  strani^re  m. 
foreigner  foresti^re,  strani^re  m. 
forest  f crista/. 
forget  dimenticare 
fork  forchetta/. 
forty  quaranta 


four  quattro  ;  on  all  ~s  carponi 

fourteen  quattordici 

fourteenth  d^cimoquarto 

fourth  quarto 

franc  lira/. 

France  la  Francia 

Francis  Francesco 

free  libero 

freeze  gelare 

French  francese 

Frenchman  Francese  m. 

friar  frate  m. 

Friday  venerdi  m. 

friend  amico,  -a 

from  da ;  {time)  fin  da 

front  fronte/. ;  in  ev  of  davanti  a 

frugal  frugale 

fruit  frutto  m. 

fulfill  avverare 

full  pi^no 

garden  giardino  m. 

gather  c^gliere 

general  adj.  generale ;  n.  generale  m. 

generally  generalmente 

genius  g^nio  m. 

gentle  mite 

gentleman  signore  m, 

George  Giorgio 

German  tedesco 

Germany  I'Alemagna,  la  Germania/. 

get  ottenere  ;  ~  back  riavere  ;  <>»  up 

levarsi 
girl  ragazza/. ;  little  ~  bambina/ 
give  dare ;  ~  up  rinunziare  a 
glad  cont^nto,  felice 
glass  bicchi^re  m.-,  {ware)  vetro  m. 
glimpse  intravvedere 
glory  glgria/. 
glove  guanto  m. 


307 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


glover  guantaio  m. 

go  andare ;  ~  out  andar  fugri ;  ~  up 

salire ;    ~  in    entrare ;    cvs  away 

partire  \  ^  down  scendere 
god  dio  m. 
God  Iddio  m. 
gold  qxo  m. 
gondola  gondola/. 
gone  partito 

good  bugno ;  ~  morning  bugn  giorno 
good-by  {polite)  a  rivederla,  {/am.) 

addio 
goodness  bonta/. 
goods  stQffa/. ;  dry  ~  merceria/. 
govern  governare 
government  gov^rno  m. 
grammar  grammatica/. 
grandfather  nQnno  m. 
grandmother  nQnna/. 
grape  uva/. 
grape-vine  vite/. 
gray  grigio 
great  grande 
Greek  gr^co 
green  verde 
greet  salutare 
greeting  saluto  m. 
ground  suqIo  m. 
group  gr<jppo  m. 
grow  crescere 
guard  guardia/. 
guess    indovinare ;   ~  right   darci 

dentro 
guide  guida/ 
gun  schi9ppo  m. 

Hague :  The  ~  I'Aia 
hair  capello  m. 
half  adj.  m^zzo  ;  n.  metk/. 
hall  sala/. 


hand  mano/.;  within  reach  of  one's  <x> 

a  portata  di  mano  ;  by  ~  a  mano ; 

at  second  ~  di  seconda  mano 
handkerchief  fazzoletto  m. 
handsome  b^llo 
handy  :  come  ~  far  c^modo 
hang  impiccare 
happen  accadere,  succ^dere 
happy   felice ;   ~   New  Year  buQn 

fine  e  princlpio  d'anno 
hard  duro,  difficile 
hardly  appena 
hasten  spicciarsi 
hat  capp^llo  m. 
have  avere ;  ~  to  avere  da 
hawk  falco  m. 
he  egli,  esso 
head  t^sta/.,  capo  m.;  with  bowed 

~  a  capo  chino 
health  salute/. 
hear  sentire,  udire 
heart  cuQre  m.;  by~  a  mente;  take 

it  to  ~  pr^ndersela 
heart-broken  afiflitto 
heat  calore  m. 
heavy  pesante 
heed  dar  r^tta  a 
heel  {of  shoe)  tacco  m. ;  {of  foot)  cal- 

cagno  m. 
help  aiuto  m.',v.  aiutare ;  not  be  able 

to  ~  non  poter  a  meno  di 
hen  gallina/ 

henceforth  di  qui  innanzi,  oramai 
Henry  Enrico 

hSiX  pron.  la,  le ;  poss.  il  suo  etc. 
here  qui,  qua ;  ~  is,  ~  are,  ^cco,  c'  ^, 

ci  sono 
heritage  retaggio  m. 
hero  er^e  m. 
heroic  er9ico 


308 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


herself  l^i  stessaj  (rejl.)  si 

hesitate  esitare 

high  alto 

highness  altezza/ 

him  gli,  lui,  lo 

himself  lui  stesso ;  {re/l.)  si 

his  il  suo,  la  sua,  etc. 

history  st^ria/. 

hold  tenere 

holiday  f^sta/i 

home  :  at  cv>  da  noi ;  in  casa 

homeward  a  casa 

honor  onorare 

hook  gancio  m. 

hope  speranzay. ;  v.  sperare 

horse  cavallo  m. 

horseback  :  ride  cv)  andar  a  cavallo 

hospital  spedale  m. 

hostile  inimico 

hot  caldo ;  it  is  ev.  fa  caldo 

hotel  alb^rgo  fn. 

hour  ora/ 

house  casa/". ;  at  the  «v)  of  da 

how  come ;  ~  do  you  do  ?  come  sta  ? 

~  much,  ~  many,  quanto,  -i 
however  conj.  pero,  pure ;  adv.  per 

quanto 
human  umano 
hundred  c^nto 
hunger  fame/. 
hungry :  be  ~  aver  fame 
hunt  cacciare 
hurl  lanciare 
hurry  f retta  /. ;  v.  spicciarsi ;  be  in 

a  ~  aver  fretta,  aver  furia 
husband  marito  m. 

I  io 

ice  ghiaccio  m. 

ice-cream  gelato  m. 


if  se 

ignorant  ignorante 

ill  ammalato ;  fall  cv)  ammalare 

imagine  immaginare,  figurarsi 

immediately  subito 

impervious  imp^rvio 

important :  be  ~  importare 

impose  imporre 

imprudent  imprud^nte 

in  in ;  [time)  fra 

increase  accrescere 

indeed  davvero 

independence  indipend^nza/. 

inexhaustible  inesauribile 

inferior  inferiore 

ingrate  ingrato  m. 

ink  inchiQstro  m. 

inside  (of)  dentro  (a) 

instead  (of)  invece  (di) 

instrument  strumento  m. 

intelligent  intellig^nte 

into  in 

introduce  presentare 

iron  f^rro  m. 

island  Isola/. 

it  esso, lo 

Italian  italiano 

Italy  r  Italia/ 

jacket  giacchetta/ 

January  gennaio  m. 

Japan  il  Giappone 

jewel  gioi^Uo  m. 

John  Giovanni 

Joseph  Giuseppe 

journey  viaggio  m. 

joy  giQia/ 

joyful  allegro 

Julius  Caesar  Giulio  Cesare 

July  luglio  tn. 


309 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


June  giugno  m. 

just  giusto ;  cv)  now  or  pra 

kilogram  chilogramma  m. 

kind  g^nere  w.,  specie,  sprte/".;  adj. 

buQno,  cortese 
king  re  m. 
kingdom  regno  m. 
kiss  bacio  m. 
kitchen  cucina/. 
knee  ginpcchio  m. ;  on  one's  e^s  gi- 

nocchioni 
knife  colt^llo  m. 
know  sapere,  conoscere 

label  cartellino  m. 

laborious  laborioso 

lacking :  be  ~  mancare 

ladder  scala  a  piupli 

lady  signoray. ;  young  ~  signorina/. 

lake  lago  m. 

lamp  lume  m. 

land  sbarcare 

language  lingua/ 

large  grande 

lark  all9dola/. 

last  forma  /. ;  v.  durare ;  adj.  ulti- 
mo, {past)  scorso  ;  at  ~  alia  fine 

late  tardi ;  the  ~  il  f u ;  be  ~  far  tardi 

laugh  riso  m.;  v.  ridere 

law  legge/; 

lawsuit  lite/. 

lawyer  avvocato  m. 

lay  posare ;  ~  the  cloth  mettere  la 
tovaglia 

layman  laico  m. 

leaf  fpglia/ 

lean  out  sp^rgersi 

learn  imparare ;  cxj  of  sapere 

learned  dQtto 


least  minimo ;  at  ~  almeno 

leather  cuQio  m. 

leave  tr.  lasciare ;  intr.  partire ;  n. 

lic^nza/ 
left  sinistro 
Leghorn  Livorno 
lemon  limone  m. 
length  lunghezza/ 
less  meno 
lessen  diminuire 
lesson  lezione/ 
let  {allow)  lasciare ;  cf.  §  92,  a 
letter  l^ttera/ 
liberty  liberta/ 
lie  giacere ;  mentire 
life  vita/ 
light    luce/;  v.  acc|ndere ;  adj. 

chiaro,  leggi^ro 
lighten  balenare,  lampeggiare 
like  simile  ;  should  ~  vorr^i  etc. 
lily-of-the-valley  mughetto  m. 
linen  lino  m. ;  tela/ 
lining  f^dera/ 
lip  labbro  m. 
lira  /  lira  (twenty  cents) 
listen  (to)  ascoltare 
literature  letteratura/ 
little  pQCo ;  cv>  by  ~  pgco  a  ppco ; 

adj.  piccolo 
live  vivere ;   {dwell)  abitare,  dimo- 

rare,  star  di  casa 
load  carica/ ;  v.  caricare 
loaded  carico 

lock  serratura/ ;  v.  serrare 
London  Londra 
long   lungo ;  ~  to  non  veder  1'  ora 

di ;  as  cv)  as  tantoche,  finche 
look,  look  at,  guardare ;  ~  for  cer- 

care 
lordship  :  your  cvj  Vossignoria/ 


310 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


lose  pfrdere 
lot  sqrte/. 
Louis  Luigi 

love  amore  m. ;  v.  amare 
low  adj.  basso ;  v.  muggire 
lower  inferiore 
luck  :  good  ~  fortuna/. 
luckily  meno  male 
luggage  bagaglio  m. 
luncheon  colazione/. ;  take  ~  far 
colazione 

Madam  Signora/. 

mail  pgstay. ;  v.  impostare 

mainspring  mQlla/. 

majesty  maesta/ 

majority  maggior  parte/". 

make  fare 

mamma  mamma,  mammina/". 

man  U9mo  m. ;  honorable  03  galan- 

tu^mo  m. 
manner  mani^ra/". 
many  molti 
march  marcia/". 
March  marzo  m. 
married  woman  signora y. 
martyr  martire  m. 
mask  maschera/. 
mass  messa/". 
mast  albero  m. 
match  fiammifero  m. ;  v.  accompa- 

gnare 
matter  materia/.;  v.  importare 
may,  can,  potere 
May  maggio  m. 
me  mi,  me 
meadow  prate  m. 
meat  carney". 

meet  incontrare ;  conoscere 
memory  memQria/". 


merchant  mercante  m. 

metal  metallo  m. 

metropolis  metr9poli/. 

middle  m^zzo  m. ;  in  the  ~  of  in 
m^zzo  a 

midnight  m^zzan^ttey! 

might  potr^i  eU. ;  or  subj. 

mild  mite 

military  militare 

milk  latte  m. 

milliner  modista/ 

mind  mente/. 

mine  mini^rayi ;  il  mio  etc. 

minute  minute  m. 

miser  avare  m. 

misfortune  sventura,  disgrazia/. 

miss  sentire  la  mancanza  di 

Miss  Signerinay. 

mistake  sbaglio  m.\  v.  sbagliare 

modern  mod^mo 

moment  memento  m.\  in  a  05  a  mo- 
ment! 

monarch  monarca  m. 

monarchist  monarchice  m. 

Monday  lunedi  m. 

money  denare  m. 

monk  menace  m. 

monster  mostre  m. 

month  mese  ?n. 

moon  luna/ 

more  piu 

morning  mattina/*.;  goodo^  bugn  gior- 
ne ;  say  good  ~  dare  il  bugn  giorno 

most  il  piu 

mother  madre/. 

mother-in-law  su^ceray, 

mount  salire,  montare 

mountain  mentagna/. 

mourning  lutte  m.;  in  <>s  a  lutto 

move  mu^vere 


31 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


movement  mQto  m. 

Mr.  Signore  m. 

Mrs.  Signora/. 

much  molto ;  as  cv.  more  altrettanto 

mud  fango  m. 

murmur  mormorare 

mushroom  fungo  m. 

my  il  mio,  la  mia,  etc. 

myself  io  stesso ;  refl.  mi 

name  nome  m. 

nap  sonnecchiare 

Naples  Napoli 

narrow  stretto 

nation  nazione/". 

navy  marina/. 

near  vicino  (a) 

necessary  necessario ;  be  os  biso- 

gnare,  occorrere 
neck  C9II0  m. 
necklace  collana/. 
necktie  cravatta,  ciarpetta/". 
need  bisogno  m.;  v.  aver  bisogno  di 
neigh  nitrire 
neighbor  vicino  w. 
neither  ne ;  ~  .  ,  ,  nor  ne  .  .  .  ne 
nephew  nipote  m. 
nest  nido  m. 
never  non  .  .  .  mai 
nevertheless  tuttavTa 
new  nuQvo  ;  New  Year's  capo  d'an- 

no;  Happy  New  Year  bugn  capo 

d'  anno ;  to  wish  a  happy  new  year 

augurare  il  bugn  anno 
news  notlzie/.//. 
newspaper  giornale  m. 
next     [near)   accanto  a ;    [coming) 

pr^ssimo,    quest'    altro ;    ~  door 

accanto 
nice  simpatico 


niece  nipote/. 

night  nQtte/. 

nine  ngve 

nineteen  diciann^ve 

nineteenth  d|cimo  nQno 

ninety  novanta 

ninth  nQno 

no  n9  ;  CN3  one  nessuno  ;  {not  any) 
non  [preceding vb.) 

noise  rumore,  str^pito  m. 

none  nessuno 

noon  m^zzogiorno  7n. 

nor  ne 

north  tramontana/.,  ngrte  m. 

northern  settentrionale 

not  non 

nothing  ni^nte,  nulla 

notice  awiso  m. ;  v.  acc^rgersi  (di) 

notwithstanding     (that)    non    ob- 
stante (che)  [conj.  w.  subj.) 

novel  romanzo  m. 

November  nov^mbre  m. 

now  ora,  adesso 

nowadays  al  giorno  di  9ggi,  oggidi 

number  numero  ni. 

nut  nqc&/. 

oak  qu^rcia/. 

oar  r^mo  m. 

observe  osservare 

obstinate  svogliato 

occur  aver luggo 

occurrence  eveni^nza/. 

o'clock :  at  six  ~  alle  s^i 

October  ottobre  vi. 

of  di 

off  lungi,  via  [sela  a  male 

offend  offfndere  ;  be  offended  aver- 

offer  offrire 

ofB.cer  ufficiale  m. 


31 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


often  spesso 

old  v^cchio  ;  grow  ~  invecchiare 

on  su,  sur 

once  una  vQlta ;  at  ev^  subito 

one  un,  uno,  -a 

only  adj.  solo,  unico  ;  adv.  soltanto ; 

but,  only  {w.  ace),  non  .  .  .  che 
open  adj.  ap^rto ;  v.  aprire 
opportunity  occasione/. 
opposite  in  faccia  a,  dirimp^tto  a 
or  o,  od 

orange  arancia/. 
orange-tree  arancio  m. 
order  ordine  m.\  v.  ordinare ;  to  c>3 

su  misura 
Other  altro 
ought  dovr^i  etc. 
our  il  ngstro,  la  ngstra,  etc. 
ourselves  noi  stessi ;  (;r/f.)  ci 
out  fuQri ;  go  oj  andar  fuQri 
outside  (of)  all'  infuQri  (di) 
over  su,  sopra 
overcoat  soprabito  m. 
owe  dovere 
own  adj.  pr5prio ;  v.  possedere 

package  pacco  m. 

page  pagina/. 

pain  dolere  m.\  V.  dolere 

pair  paio  (//.  paia)  m. 

palace  palazzo  m. 

papa  babbo  m. 

paper  carta/. ;  news<>3  giornale  m. 

parents  genitori  zw.//. 

Paris  Parigi 

parish-priest  parroco  m. 

parlor  salQtto  m. 

part  parte/. 

pass  passare 

passenger  passagg^ro,viaggiatore  m . 


patience  pazi^nza/. 

patriot  patri^ta  m. 

pattern  figurino  m. 

Paul  Paolo 

pay,  <NJ  for,  pagare 

peace  pace/*. 

peach  p^sca/. 

pear  pera/ 

peasant  contadino,  -a        [serbatoio 

pen  penna  /  ;  fountain  tv)  penna  a 

pencil  lapis  m. 

people  P9polo  m. ;  g^nte/ 

perceive  acc^rgersi  (di) 

perhaps  forse 

permit  permettere 

persecute  perseguitare 

person  persona/ 

Petrarch  Petrarca 

Philip  Filippo 

philosophical  filos^fico 

photograph  fotografia/ 

physician  medico  m. 

pianist  pianista  c. 

picture  quadro  m. 

piece  p^zzo  m.;  {money)  moneta/; 

tear  to  sn^s  far  a  brani ;  by  the  cv.  a 

c^ttimo 
Piedmont  il  Piemonte 
Piedmontese  piemontese 
pilgrim  pellegrino  m. 
pilgrimage :  go  on  <>3  peregrinare 
pin  spillo  m.\  V.  appuntare 
pity  pieta/  ;  what  a  ~  peccato ! 
place    luQgo,   posto  m.\    {at  table) 

posata/ ;  v.  porre 
plant  pianta/ 
plate  piatto  m. 

play  giocare;  {an  instrument)  sonare 
please    per    piacere,    per    favore ; 

V.  piacere  a 


z-^z 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


pleasure  piacere  m.;  do  a  ~  to  far 

piacere  a 
pleat  pi?ga/. 
pocket  tasca/. 
poet  po^ta  m. 
point  punta/ 
polish  lustrare 
polite  educate 
political  politico 
politician  politico  m. 
politics  politica/. 
poor  p9vero 
port  pgrto  m. 
porter  facchino  m. 
portrait  ritratto  m. 
possess   possedere ;   os  oneself  of 

agguantare 
post  pQSta/. ;  V.  impostare 
postage-stamp  francobollo  m. 
postal  postale 

post-card  cartolina  (/. )  postale 
postman  postino  7n. 
poverty  poverta/. 
powder  polvere/. 
power  potere  m. 
practice  pratica/. 
praise  lodare 
pray  v.  pregare ;  adv.  pure 
precious  prezioso 
prefer  preferire 
prepare  preparare 
president  presid^nte  m. 
press  stampa/. 
pretense  finzione/. ;  make  ~  of  far 

vista  di 
pretty  carino,  grazioso 
prevail  prevalere 
prevent  impedire 
primitive  primitivo 
prince  prIncipe  m. 


princess  principessa/". 

prison  prigione/.,  carcere  m. 

problem  probl^ma  ;«. 

professor  professore  m. 

promise  promessa/". 

property  proprieta/". 

proprietor  padrone  m. 

provided  that  purche  {w.  subj.) 

prudent  prud^nte 

punish  punire 

pupil  scolare  m. 

purchase  compray. 

purpose  scQpo  m.\  on  ^v)  a  p9sta 

purr  far  le  fusa 

purse  borsa/. 

put,  put  on,  mettere 

queen  regina/. 

question  domanday. ;  be  a  ~  of  trat- 

tarsi  di 
quiet  qui^to,  tranquillo 

rain  pigggia/. ;  v.  pi^vere 

raincoat  impermeabile  m. 

raise  levare,  ^\z2cc^,  innalzare 

rather  piuttQsto 

read  l^ggere 

ready  pronto ;  c»-made  bell'  e  fatto 

really  veramente ' 

reason  ragione/. 

rebuild  rifare 

receipts  incasso  m. 

receive  ricevere 

recently  di  rec^nte 

recommend  raccomandare 

recover  tr.  riavere ;  intr.  guarire 

recruit  recluta/. 

red  rosso 

redeem  redlmere 

reef  scQglio  m. 


314 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


refuge  rifugio/w.;  take»»  rifugiarsi 

refuse  rifiutare 

regard    {greeting  of  remembrance) 

saluto  m. 
regret  deplorare,  rincrescere  a,  dis- 

piacere  a  ;  I  03  mi  rincresce 
relative  par^nte  m.;  adj.  relative 
remain  rimanere 
remainder  r^sto  m. 
remake  rifare 
remember  ricordarsi  di 
renounce  rinunziare  a 
repeat  ripftere 
repent  pentirsi 

reply  risposta/. ;  v.  rispondere 
reproof  rimpr^vero  m. 
reprove  rimproverare 
republic  repubblica/. 
republican  repubblicano 
respectable  rispettabile 
rest  r^sto,  rip9so  m. ;   v.  riposarsi 
result  risultato  m. 
resurrection  risorgimento  m. 
return  ritomo  m.\  v.  tornare,  ritor- 

nare 
Rhine  R^no  m. 
ribbon  nastro  m. 
rich  ricco  m. 
rid  oneself  sbarrazzarsi 
right  d^stro  ;  be  ~  aver  ragione 
rigorous  rigoroso 
ring  an^llo  m.;  v.  sonare 
rise  levarsi,  alzarsi 
risk  rischio  m. 
river  fiume  m. 
road  strada/. 
Roman  romano 
Rome  Roma 
room  stanza  /. ;  posto  tn. 
roost  appollaiarsi 


rose  r^sa/". 
rough  rpzzo 

row-boat  barca  (/.)  a  r?mi 
rule  rf  gola/. ;  v.  r|ggere 
ruler  regnante  m. 
run  corsa  /. ;  v.  correre  ;  ~  down 
adj.  scarico 

sad  triste 

sadness  tristezza/. 

safe  sicuro 

safety  sicurezza,  salvezza  yC  ;  in  <>» 

in  salvo 
sail  vela/. ;  set  =>?  far  vela 
sailor  marinaio  m. 
saint  santo  m. 
Saint  san,  santo 
saintly  santo 
saint' s-day  onomastico  m. 
sale  vendita/I 
same  stesso 
sample  campione  m. 
Saturday  sabato  m. 
saucer  piattino  {m.)  da  tazza 
savage  selvaggio  adj. 
save  z/.salvare,  {money)  risparmiare; 

prep,  tranne 
Savoy  la  SavQia/. 
say  dire 
says  dice 

scatter  spargere,  diffondere 
school  scucjla/. 
scissors  f9rbici/.//. 
scold  sgridare 
score  ventina/. 
scout  vedetta/. 
scrap  brano  m. 
sea  mare/w.;  at~  in  mare;  bythe^^ 

al  mare 
season  stagione/. 


315 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


second  secpndo 

secret  segreto  m. 

secretly  di  nascosto 

see  vedere 

seem  sembrare 

seen  visto  * 

Seine  S^nna/. 

seldom  di  rado 

self  see  myself,  himself,  etc. 

sell  vendere 

send  mandare,  inviare,  spedire 

sentinel  sentin^lla,  vedetta/. 

September  sett^mbre  m. 

seriously  sul  sf  rio 

servant  s^rvo,  -a 

serve  servire ;  {meal)  imbandire 

service  servlzio  m. 

set  table  apparecchiare 

seven  s^tte 

seventeen  diciass^tte 

seventeenth  d^cimo  sf  ttimo 

seventh  s^ttimo 

seventy  settanta 

several  parecchi 

sew  cucire 

shake  scu^tere ;  t^j  hands  with  dar 

la  mano  a 
shall  I  {in  qtcestions)  d^vo 
shame  vergogna/. 
share  parte/. 
she  ella,  essa,  l^i 
sheep  pfcora/. 

sheet  lenzuQlo  ;  {of  paper)  f^glio  m. 
shelf  scaffale  ni. 
shield  scudo  m. 
shoe  Scarpa/. 
shoemaker  calzolaio  m. 
shoot  tirare 
shop  bottega/. 
short  cprto,  br^ve 


should  past  f tit.  or  subj. 

shoulder  spalla/. 

shout  grido  m. ;  v.  gridare 

show   mostrare,  dimostrare ;  ~  in 

far  passare 
Sicily  la  Sicilia 
side  parte/. ;  on  this  ~  of  al  di  qua 

di ;  on  that  ~  of  al  di  la  di 
sign  affisso,  cart^llo  m. ;  segno  m. 
signal  c^nno  m. 
silence  sil^nzio  m. 
silk  seta/ 
silver  arg^nto  m. 
simple  semplice 

since  {time)  dacche  ;  {cause)  poiche 
sincere  sinc^ro 
sing  cantare 
sip  sorbire 
sir  Signpre  m. 
sister  sor^lla/ 
sister-in-law  cognata/ 
sit  sedere ;  ~  down  accomodarsi 
six  s^i 

sixteen  sedici 
sixteenth  df  cimo  s^sto 
sixth  s^sto 
sixty  sessanta 
skirt  sottana/ 
sleep  spnno  m. ;  v.  dormire 
sleepy :  be  ~  aver  spnno 
sleeve  manica/ 
small  piccolo 
smoke  fumo  in.\  v.  fumare 
sneeze  starnutire 
snow  neve/  ;  v.  nevicare 
so   cosi ;   o3  much,  ~  many,   tanto, 

tanti ;  o^  that  perche  {w.  subj.) 
sob  singulto  m. 
socialist  socialista  m. 
sock  calzino  m. 


ii6 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


soft  dolce 

softly  piano 

soil  SU9I0  m. 

soldier  soldato  m. 

solitude  solitudine/. 

some  adj.  qualche ;  pron.  ne 

son  figlio  m. 

son-in-law  g^nero  m. 

song  canzone/". 

soon  presto,  t9Sto;  as~as  tgstoche; 

as  ~  as  possible  quanto  prima ;  no 

~er  .  .  .  than  appena  .  .  .  che 
sorrow  dolere  m. 
sorrowful  afflitto,  doloroso 
sorry  dispiac^nte ;  be  ~  dispiacere 

a  ;  I  am  ev>  mi  dispiace 
south  m^zzogiomo 
southern  meridionale 
Spaniard  Spagnu^lo  m. 
Spanish  spagnuglo 
spark  scintilla/. 
speak  parlare 
spectacle  spettacolo  m. 
spectacles  occhiali  m.  pi. 
speculator  speculatore  m. 
spend    {time)    passare ;    {money) 

spfndere 
spirit  splrito  m. 
spool  rocchetto  m. 
spoon  cucchiaio  m. 
spot  macchiay. 
spread  dist^ndere 
spring  {season)  primav^ra/.;  {motive 

power)  m9llay". 
spy  spia/ 
stain  macchia/ 
stair   scala  /. ;  winding  ~  scala  a 

chi^cciola 
state  state  m.\  v.  dichiarare 
statesman  politico  m. 


station  stazione/. 

stay  restare,  rimanere 

steel  acciaio  m. 

step  passo  m. 

Stephen  Stefano 

still  ancora,  tuttavia 

stone  pi^tra/. 

stop  fermarsi 

story  st9ria/.;  {of  a  house)  piano 

straight  dritto ;  ~  ahead  difilato 

strange  strano 

stranger  strani^re  m. 

straw  paglia/. 

street  via/. 

stretch  out  P9rgere 

strike  sci9pero  m.\  v.  colpire 

struggle  l9tta/. 

study  stiidio  m.;  v.  studiare 

succeed  riuscire ;  tr.  succf  dere  a 

suck  succhiare 

suddenly    improvvisamente,    a   un 

tratto 
suffer  soffrire,  patire 
suffice  bastare 

suitable  addatto ;  be  <>»  convenire 
sum  somma/. 
summer  estate/, 
summit  colmo  m. 
sun  sole  m. 
Sunday  domenica/. 
superior  superiore  , 

support  sostegno  m. 
supreme  supremo 
sure  sicuro 
surgeon  chirurgo  m. 
surprise  sorpresa/.;  v.  sorprfndere 
swarm  sciame  m.\  v.  formicolare 
swear  giurare 
sweet  dplce 
sweetmeat  dolce  m.  \  chicca/. 


317 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


Swiss  svizzero 

table  tavolay. ;  set  the  ~  apparec- 

chiare  ;  ev)-cloth  tovaglia/. 
tailor  sarto  m. 
take  pr^ndere,  pigliare;  cv)off  levar- 

si;  ~  away  t^gliere;  tone's  way 

avviarsi ;  cns  out  cavare 
talent  ingegno  m. 
tall  alto 
task  lavoro  m. 
tax  tassa/ 
tea  t^  m. 
teach  insegnare 

teacher  maestro, -a;  istitutore, -trice 
telegram  telegramma,  dispaccio  m. 
telephone  telefonare 
tell  dire ;  raccontare 
ten  di^ci 
tenth  d^cimo 
terrible  terribile 
territory  territ^rio  m. 
tete  a  tete  a  quattr'  Qcchi 
Thames  Tamigi  m. 
than  di,  che,  di  quel  che 
thanks  gx^aX^f.pl. 
that  dem.  J)ro?i.  quelle;   rel.  pron. 

che ;  conj.  che 
thaw  sgelare,  dighiacciare 
the  il,  la ;  //.  i,  gli,  le 
theater  teatro  m. 
thee  ti,  te 

their  il  loro,  la  lore,  etc. 
them  li,  le,  loro 
theme  t^ma  m. 

themselves  loro  stessi ;  refl.  si 
then  allora,  dunque 
thence  indi,  ne 
there  li,  la ;  ~  is,  cva  are,  c'  ^,  ci 

sono,  {dent.)  ^cco 
therefore  dunque 


they  essi,  esse 

thicket  macchia/. 

thimble  ditale  m. 

thing  cQsa/. 

things  rgbay;  collective 

think  pensare  ,  {believe)  credere 

third  t^rzo 

thirst  sete/. 

thirsty :  be  ~  aver  sete 

thirteen  tredici 

thirteenth  decimo  t^rzo 

thirty  trenta 

this  questo 

thither  li,  Ik 

Thomas  Tommaso 

thou  tu 

though  benche,  sebb^ne 

thought  pensi^ro  m. 

thousand  mille 

threat  minacciay. 

threaten  minacciare 

three  tre 

threshold  s^glia/. 

throw  gettare,  buttare;  ~awaybut- 
tar  via 

thunder  tuQno  m. ;  v.  tonare 

thunderbolt  fulmine  m. 

Thursday  giovedi  m, 

thus  cosi 

thy  il  tuo,  la  tua,  etc. 

thyself  tu  stesso ;  refl.  ti 

Tiber  Tevere  m. 

ticket  biglietto  m.\  round-trip  cv)  bi- 
glietto  d'  andata  e  ritorno ;  first- 
class  OS  biglietto  di  prima  classe 

ticket-window  sport^Uo  m. 

tight  stretto 

time  t^mpo  m.\  {a  time)  VQlta  /. ; 
on  cv)  a  t^mpo  ;  short  ~  p^co 

tin  latta/. 

8 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


tiny  minimo,  piccino 

tired  stance ;  become  ~  stancarsi 

to  a,  ad 

to-day  9ggi 

together  insi^me 

to-morrow  domani 

tongs  mQlle/.//. 

too,  too  much,   tfQppo;  09  many 

trQppi 
tooth  d^nte  m. 
top  cima/. ;  on  ~  of  in  cima  a 
torture  supplizio  m. 
tour  giro  m. 
towards  v^rso 
tower  torre/. 

trade  mesti^re ;  comm^rcio  m. 
train  tr^no  m. 

traitor,  -ress,  traditore,  -tora 
travel  viaggiare 
traveler  viaggiatore  m. 
treachery  tradimento  m. 
tree  albero  m. 
tremble  tremare 
tricolored  tricolore 
trimming  guarnizione/. 
triple  triplice,  triple 
troops  truppe/.//. 
trousers  calzoni  m. pi. 
trunk  baule  m. ;  pack  one's  tv>  fare 

il  baule 
truth  verita/. 
try    provare,    cercare   di;   03  one's 

best  fare  di  tutto  ;  c^  on  provare 
Tuesday  martedi  m. 
Turk  Turco  m. 
turn  voltarsi ;  03  back  rivoltare ;  in 

o3  a  vic^nda ;  be  the  03  of  toccare  a 
Tuscany  la  Toscana 
twelfth  d^cimo  second© 
twelve  dodici 


twentieth  ventfsimo 

twenty  venti 

twice  due  vQlte 

two  due 

tjrpewriter  macchina  (/.)  dascrivere 

tj^ical  tipico 

tyranny  tirannlay. 

tyrant  tiranno  m. 

ugly  brutto 

umbrella  ombr^llo  m. 

uncle  zio  m. 

under  sotto 

understand  capire,  intfndere 

unequal  ineguale 

uneven  impari 

unhappy  infelice 

union  unita/. 

unite  unire 

university  universita_/! 

unless  a  meno  che  {w.  stibj.) 

until  fino  a 

up  su ;  get  ~  levarsi 

upon  su 

upper  superiore 

us  ci,  noi 

use  uso  m. ;  make  <>»  of  servirsi  di ; 

be  of  ~  to  servire  a 
usual  s^lito ;  as  ~  come  al  s^lito 
usually  generalmente,  per  il  s^lito 

vacation  vacanza/, 

vain :  in  cv)  indarno 

valley  valle/. 

value  pr^gio  m. ;  be  of  ~  valere 

vast  vasto 

veil  velo  m. 

Venetian  veneziano 

Venice  V^en^zia 

very  molto 


319 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


view  vista/ 

village  villaggio,  paese  m. 

vintage  vendemmiayi 

violet  mammolay. 

virtue  virtii/. 

visit  visita/. ;  v.  visitare 

wager  scommessa/. 

wait,  wait  for,  aspettare 

waiter  cameri^re  m. 

walk  V.  camminare,  andare  a  pi^di 

walk  passeggiata,  giratinay.,  spasso 

m. ;    take  a  ~   andare  a  spasso, 

fare  una  passeggiata 
wall  muro  m. 
walnut  noce/. 
wander  peregrinare 
war  gu^rra/". ;  wage  ~  mQver  gu^rra 
warfare  gu^rra/.;  of  ~  bfllico 
warlike  bellicoso 
warm  caldo ;  be  cv)  aver  caldo 
wash  lavare  ;  cv)-stand  lavamano  ///. 
watch    orolQgio   ni.\    v.  guardare, 

vegliare 
water  acqua/. ;  v.  annaffiare 
wave  onda/. 
way    via,  strada  f. ;    lose   one's   ~ 

smarrirsi;  take  one's  ~  avviarsi, 

recarsi;  on  the  ~  strada  fac^ndo 
we  noi 

weak  debole,  caduco,  fiacco 
weather  t^mpo  m.\  it  is  fine  ~  fa 

b^l  t^mpo 
wedding  n9zze///. 
Wednesday  mercoledi  m. 
week  settimana/ 
weep  piangere 

welcome  benvenuto;  you're  ~  ni^nte 
well  b^ne;~then  ebb^ne,  dunque; 

~  now  o  or  c^ 


west  pon^nte  m. 

western  occidentale 

wet  bagnato 

what  che,  quel  che 

whatever    adj.   qualunque ;   J>ron. 

checche 
when  quando 

whenever  qualora  {zu.  subj.) 
where  dove 

wherever  dovunque  {%v.  subj.) 
whether  se 
which  che,  il  quale 
while  mentre ;  be  worth  ~  meritare 

il  conto 
white  bianco 
who  rel.  che  ;  interr.  chi 
whom  reL  che,  cui ;  interr.  chi 
whose  il  cui,  (di)  cui ;  interr.  di  chi 
why  perche 
wicked  scellerato 
wide  largo 
width  larghezzay". 
wife  mogliey. 
will  volonta/. ;  v.  volere 
win  vincere 
wind  up  caricare 
wind  v^nto  m. 
window  fin^stra/ 
winter  inv^rno  m. 
wise  savio,  sapi^nte 
wish    volere,  desiderare ;    ~  well 

augurare 
with  con 
wither  appassire 
without  s^nza;  do  ev>  fare  a  meno 

di 
woman  dgnna/". ;  married  ~  signora 

/. ;  unmarried  ~  signorina/. 
wood  bQSCO  m. ;  {material)  legno  ni, 
wool  lana/. 


320 


ENGLISH-ITALIAN  VOCABULARY 


work  9pera/.,  lavorow.;  z^.  lavorare 

workman  operaio  m. 

world  mondo  m. 

worse  adj.  peggiore ;  adv.  p?ggio 

worst  il  peggiore ;  il  p?ggio 

worry  tr.  dar  pensi^ro  a ;  inir.  stare 

in  pensi^ro,  darsi  pensi^ro 
worth  :  be  ~  valere 
would  volere ;  past  pit.  or  sicbj. 
wound  ferita/. ;  v.  ferire 
wound  up  adj.  carico 
write  scrivere 
writer  scrittore  m. 
wrong :  be  «v>  aver  tQrto 


yard  cortey. 

yawn  sbadigliare 

year  anno  m. 

yes  si 

yesterday  i^ri 

yet  ancora,  tuttavla 

you  voi,  tu,  L^i ;  cf.  65,  a,  h,  c 

young  giovane 

your  il  vQstro,  il  tuo,  il  Suo 

yourself   voi  stesso,  tu  stesso,  L^i 

stesso  ;  rejl.  vi,  ti,  si 
yourselves  voi  stessi,  Lore  stessi; 

reJl.  vi,  si 
youth  gioventuy*. 


321 


INDEX 


[Numbers  refer  to  sections] 


a,  idioms  with,  227,  a 
Accent,  graphic,  18-21 

acute,  21 

circumflex,  20 

grave,  19 

meaning  distinguished  by,  19,  e 
Accent,  tonic,  9-15 

marks  of,  in  this  book,  9 

meaning  distinguished  by,  15 

in  truncated  words,  33 

in  verbs,  13,  a 
Addition  of  d  or  r  for  euphony,  39 
Address,  person  in,  65,  a-d;  100,  c 
Adjectives,  82-88 

agreement,  83 

with  two  or  more  nouns,  83,  b 
sg.  adj.  with  pi.  n.,  83,  c 

capitaHzation  of,  88,  a 

demonstrative,  86 ;  190 

interrogative,  87 ;  191 

invariable,  85,  b 

irregular,  85,  a 

position  of,  84 

prepositions  with,  223 

used  substantively,  88 

with  subst,  understood,  88,  b 
Adverbs,  89 ;  212-219 

comparison  of,  115  ;  116 ;  117 

formation  of,  89,  a ;  214 

position  of,  212  ;  216,  a 

of  affirmation,  215  ;  230,  b,  3 

of  manner,  214 ;  219,  a ;  227 

of  negation,  216 

of  place,  217  ;  219,  b 

of  quantity,  89,  b;  160;  218 

of  time,  219,  c 
Age,  153 
'ago,'  161,  d 
alcuno,  206,  a 


'all,'  160,  c 
Alphabet,  1 
altro,  208,  c,  d 
altrui,  208,  b 
andare,  149 

idioms  with,  149,  b 

special  uses  of,  149,  a 
'any,'  77  ;  124 ;  206,  a,  i,  2,  3  ;  208,  c 
Apheresis,  35 
Apocope,  37 
Archaic  forms,  44-49 
Arithmetical  formulae,  159,  b 
Article,  see  Definite  am/  Indefinite 
Article  repeated,  61 
Augmentatives,  228,  a ;  229 
Auxiliary 

agreement  of  past  part,  with,  99 ; 
104,  c,  I,  2;  122;  194,6 

avere  used  as,  68  ;  101,  b,  c;  121 

'do,' 62,  b,  i;  215,  c 

essere  used  as,  98 ;  101,  a,  c 

modal  auxiliaries,  186 
avere,  68 ;  101 ;  120 ;  121 

idiomatic  uses  of,  123 

past  part,  with,  122 

'be,' 96 

bello,  forms  of,  85,  a 
'both,'  150,  d;  207,/ 
buono,  forms  of,  85,  a 

'  can,'  see  Modal  auxiliaries,  sapere 
Capitalization,  41-43 

capitals  omitted,  42 

capitals  used  contrary  to  English 
usage,  43 

of  adjectives,  88,  a 
Cardinal  numerals,  150 

'about'  with,  168,  a,  i 


323 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


-care,  verbs  ending  in,  110,  a,  i 
Century,  number  of,  161,  c;  157,  c 
-cere,  verbs  ending  in,  110,  c 
Che,  114,  a;  116,  ft,  i,  2,  c;  169,/, 

note  2  ;  189,  b ;  230,  b,  2,  3, 4 
ci  (adv.),  126 ;  217,  b,  c 
ci  (pron.),  94;  125,  b,  i  ;  224,  b 
-ciare,  verbs  ending  in,  110,  a,  2 
ci5,  190,  d 

Close  vowels,  3,  a,  c,  f 
-co,  masculines  in,  178,  c 
Collective  nouns,  agreement  with, 

183 
Collective  numerals,  158,  a 

with  special  meanings,  158,  b 
Comparatives,  115 

of  equality,  119 

irregular,  117,  a 

with  special  meanings,  117,  b 
Compound  nouns,  181 ;  225 
Compound  tenses,  68  ;  96  ;  120 
Conjugations,  90,  a 
Conjunctions,  230 
Conjunctive  pronoun  objects 

forms,  94 

changes  in,  125,  b 

position,  96,  a,  b 

of  two  objects,  125,  a 
with  dependent  inf.,  167 

curtailment  of  inf.  before,  96,  b,  2 

direct  becoming  indirect,  167,  c,  2 

initial    consonants    doubled     in, 
100,  b 

used  redundantly,  100,  d,  e 

used  as  subject,  100,  g 

with  compound  prep,  and  verb, 
222,  a 

with  ecco,  100,  a 
Consonants,  5 
Contraction  of  prepositions,  75 

d,  addition  of,  for  euphony,  39 

da,  idiomatic   uses   of,  103 ;    112 ; 

123,  a;   139;    162,  c;   227,  b 
dare,  131 

idioms  with,  131,  a 
Dates,  150,  c;  161,  a,  b,  c;  157,  c 
Definite  article 
forms,  70 

their  uses,  71 ;  72 


syntax,  73  ;  146  ;  147 

agreement  with  two  nouns,  148 
in  dates,  146,/;  151 
distributive,  146,  g 
idiomatic  uses,  146,  k 
omission  of,  147 
used    for    possessive,    107,    c; 

146,  e 
with  proper  names,  146,  c,  d,  h 
Demonstrative  adjective,  86;  190 
Demonstrative  pronoun,  190 
di,  78  ;  164,  b,  i  ;  174,  b,  3,  c,  3  ;  205, 

a;  221,  b;  227,  c 
Dialogues 

In  un  albergo,  p.  154 
L'  Arrivo,  p.  134 
L'  Automobile,  p.  219 
Dal  calzolaio,  p.  202 
Dalla  modista,  p.  245 
Dalla  sarta,  p.  163 
Dal  sarto,  p.  188 
Si  fanno  le  compre,  p.  250 
Diminutives,  228,  ft;  229 
Diphthongs,  4,  a,  ft ;  63 
dire,  175 

Disjunctive  pronoun,  135  ;  136 
nominative,  65  ;  135,  a 
objective,  135,  b 

uses  of,  65,  a,  i  ;  136 
'do,'  auxiliary,  62,  b,  i  ;  215,  C 
dolere,  172 

Double  consonants,  5,  b 
Doublings,  special,  5,  6,  2 
dovere,  188 

special  uses  of,  187,  c 

ecco,  100,  a-,  217,  c 
ed  for  e,  39 
Elision,  22-28 ;  62 

in  contracted  forms,  28 
essere,  96 

used  as  auxiliary,  98 ;  101,  a,  c 
Exclamations,  191,  a ;  230,  b,  2  ;  231 

fare,  163 

idioms  with,  163,  b 

with  dependent  inf.,  163,  a;  167,  c 
Fractions,  167,  b 
'from,'  227,  d,  2 
Future,  69 ;  141 


324 


INDEX 


-gare,  verbs  ending  in,  110,  a,  i 
Gender,  80 ;  197-203 

distinguished  by  form,  80,  b ;  197 
distinguished  by  meaning,  80,  a; 

198 
mascuUnes  in  a,  202 
in  names  of  animals,  200 
in  nounsof  human  relationship, 201 
rank,   feminine   forms    of   words 

denoting,  203 
two  genders,  nouns  of,  199 
Genitive,  see  Possessive 
-gere,  verbs  ending  in,  110,  c 
Gerund,  English,  transl.  into  Italian, 

193,  rf 
Gerundive,  Italian,  193,  b 
-glare,  verbs  ending  in,  110,  a,  2 
gli  (hard  g),  5,  c 
grande,  forms  of,  86,  a 

•  half,'  157,  b,  i 
'have,'  120 

'have  to,'  123,  a 
'here,'  126,  a;  217;  219,  b 
'  he  who,'  190,  c,  2 
'however,'  230,  a 


Indicative,  see  Tenses 
Infinitive,  173 ;  174 

government  of,  174 

uses  of,  173 

with  a,  174,  b,  i  ;  c,  2 

with  da,  174,  a;  c,  4 

with  di,  174,  ft,  3  ;  c,  3 
Inflections,  see  Conjugations 
Interjections,  231 
Interrogative  adjective,  87  ;  191 
Interrogative  construction,  62 
Interrogative  pronouns,  191 
Invariable  adjectives,  85,  b 
Invariable  nouns,  176 
Inversion,  145  ;  194,  c 
-io,  plural  of  nouns  in,  178,  a,  2 
Irregular  verbs,  pp.  261-273 

formation,  130 

past  absolutes  of,  120,  a 

principal  parts  of,  120,  b ;  180 

regular  forms  of,  128 
-issimo,  ending,  116,  d 
'it,'  anticipative  subject,  100,  g,  2 

in  predicate  after  essere,  100,  e 

'it  is  I,'  etc.,  65,/ 
'its,' 107,  c 


i,  euphonic,  38 
-iare,  verbs  ending  in,  110,  b 
Idioms,  see  andare,  da,  dare,   etc.. 
Adverbs,  Prepositions,  Time, 
Weather,    etc. 
Imperative 

formation,  in  irr.  verbs,  130,  e 

negative,  92,  b 

third  person  of,  92,  a 
Impersonal    EngUsh    expressions, 

translation  of,  106,  b 
Impersonal  verbs,  164 

with  subjunctive,  164,  b 

use  of  di  with,  164,  b,  1 
Indefinite  article 

forms,  58 

their  uses,  59  ;  60 

syntax  of,  61 ;  66  ;  162 
Indefinite  pronouns,  205-210 

alphabetical  list,  206 

with  di,  205,  a 

negative,  210 


Lei,  in  address,  65,  a,  i  ;  100,  c 
Letters,  see  Alphabet,  Consonants, 

Vowels 
loro,  125,  a,  i  ;  136,  z,  i 

mai,  191,  6;  216,/,  i 

'  may,'  see  Modal  auxiliaries 

Marks  of  pronunciation,  2,  a;  5,  c ;  9 

Measurements,  155 

meco,  etc.,  136,  a,  i 

Metathesis,  40 

Modal  auxiliaries,  186  ;  187 

in  compound  tenses,  186,  b 

with  inf.,  186,  d 

special  uses  of,  187 
Money,  154 
Moods,  see  Imperative,  Indicative, 

Subjunctive 
morire,  156 
Multiplicatives,  159,  a 
'must,'  see  Modal  auxiliaries 
'myself,'  etc.,  see  Reflexives 


3^5 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


nascere,  past  tenses  of,  140,  d,  i 

ne  (adv.),  126 ;  217,  b 

ne  (pron.),  107,  c;  124;  224,  b 

for  ci,  94,  a,  i 
'never,'  216,  6,  i  ;  / 
no  for  non,  216,  d 
non,  216,  a,  b,  f 

pleonastic,  169,  a,  i 

position,  216,  a 
'not,' 216 
Nouns,  see  Gender,  Plural 

compound,  181 ;  225 

position  as  object  of  dependent 
infinitive,  167,  c,  i 
Number,  see  Plural 
Numerals,  see  Cardinal,  Ordinal 

0,  UO,  in  verbs,  110,  d 

Objects,  see  Conjunctive  and  Nouns 

Old  forms,  see  Archaic 

'  one,'  106,  b ;  207 

'only,' 216,  b 

Open  vowels,  3,  b,  d,  g 

Ordinal  numerals,  167 

agreement,  157,  a 

century  numbers,  157,  C 

fractions,  157,  b 

'half,' 157,  5,  I 

order,  157,  d,  e 

uses,  157,  b-d 
Orthographical    peculiarities    of 

verbs,  110 
Orthography,  see  Variant  forms 
'  other,'  208,  d 
'  ought,'  see  Modal  auxiliaries 

parere,  161 

Pa7'ole  hisdrucciole,  13 
Parole  plane,  10 
Parole  sdrucciole,  12 
Parole  tranche,  11 
Participle,  past,  194 

absolute  construction,  195 

agreement,  194,  b 

inversion,  194,  c 
Participle,  present,  193 

English,  transl.  into  Italian,  102; 
193,  c 

Italian,  transl.  into  English,  193, 
a,  b 


Partitive,  77 ;  124 
Passive,  97 

English,  transl.  into  Italian,  106,  a 

with  andare,  rimanere,  venire,  97, 
a,  I 
Past  absolute,  74 ;  140,  a 

irregular  construction  of,  120,  a 
Past  descriptive,  140,  c 
Past  future,  79  ;  93  ;  142 
Past  tenses,  see  Tenses 
Person  in  address,  65,  a-d;  100,  c 
Personal  pronouns,  65 

see  Conjunctive,  Disjunctive 
piacere,  185 
Pitch  in  speech,  14 
Plural  of  nouns,  67  ;  176-184 

in  compound  nouns,  181 

defective,  182 

feminine,  177 

invariable,  176 

irregular,  179 

masculine,  178 

meaning  distinguished  by,  182,  d 

in  proper  nouns,  180 

sg.  used  for,  with  parts  of  body, 
184 
Poetic  forms,  see  Archaic 
porre,  196 

Possessive  with  di,  78 
Possessive  adjective,  107 

agreement,  107,  b 

definite  article  omitted,  108 

definite  article  used  for,  109 

'  its,'  107,  c 
potere,  168  ;  187,  b 
Prepositions,  221-227 

with  adjectives,  223 

alphabetical  lists  of,  226 

compound,  222 

conjunctive    object    used    with, 
222,  a 

contracted  with  article,  75 

idioms  with,  227 

with  objects  of  verbs,  224,  b 

repeated  with  each  noun,  76 

simple,  221,  a 

with  pronouns,  221,  b 
Present  indicative,  see  Tenses 
Principal  parts  of  verbs,  91 ;  120,  b; 
130 


326 


INDEX 


Probability,  future  of,  141,  a,  i 
Pronouns,  see  Conjunctive,  Demon- 
strative, Disjunctive,  Indefinite, 
Interrogative,  Relative 
Pronoun  subject  omitted,  63,  a 
Pronunciation,  2-5 

close  vowels,  3,  a,  c,/" 

consonant  sounds,  5 

marks,  2,  a;  5,  e;  9 

meaning  distinguished  by,  3,  e,  A ; 
6,  b,  e,  4,d;  15 

mispronunciations,  2,  b 

open  vowels,  3,  b,  d,  g 

Tuscan  peculiarities  of,  6,  d    . 

vowel  sounds,  2 

words  for  practice,  16,  17 

qualche,  206,  c,  i 

r,  euphonic,  39  * 

Reciprocal  verbs,  104,  b 
Reflexive  pronoun,  94,  c   ■ 

as  dative  of  reference,  105,  &,  3 

omitted    from    dependent    inf., 
105,  b,  2 

for  possessive,  105,  c 
Reflexive  verbs,  104-106 

with  2d  conjunctive  object,  127 

with    prepositions,    to    translate 
English  transitives,  105,  b,  i 

uses,  104,  b ;  105 

special  uses,  106 
Regular  verbs,  90 

construction  of,  91 
Relative  pronoun 

forms,  114 

uses,  189 
Rhyme,  55 
rimanere,  129 

s,  pronunciation  of,  5,  e,  i,  2 
s  impure,  59,  a,  i 
santo,  forms  of,  85,  a 
sapere,  132 

special  meanings  of,  132,  a 
scegliere,  211 
s^,  136,  / 
Semivowels,  4 

sentire,  conjugation  of,  111,  a 
'shall,'  see  Future,  dovere 
'  should,'  see  Past  future 


si,  see  Reflexive 

Singular  for  plural  with  parts  of 

body,  184 
'so'  after  verbs  of  thinking  etc., 

100,  e,  I  ;  215,  b,  i 
'some,'  'some  one,'  77;  124;  206 

'some  more,'  208,  <f,  2 
Spelling,  see  Variant  forms 
stare,  166 

idioms  with,  166,  b 
special  meanings  of,  166,  a 
Subject,  inversion  of,  145 
Subjunctive 
in  dependent  clauses,  169 
in  conditions,  93 
with  credere,  137 
with  impersonal  verbs,  164,  b 
after  superlatives,  118 
after  verbs  of  wishing,  113 
in  independent  clauses,  171 
future  for,  169,  /,  note  i 
sequence  of  tenses  with,  170 
Suffixes,  see  Augmentatives,  Dimin- 
utives 
Superlative,  116 
absolute,  116,  d 
article  omitted,  116,  b 
preposition  used  with,  116,  c 
subjunctive  with,  118 
Syllabification,  6-8 
Syllables,  division  of,  at  end  of  line,  8 
Syncope,  36 

Tenses  of  the  indicative,  139-142 

compound,  68  ;  96 ;  120 

future,  69 ;  141 

past  absolute,  74  ;  140,  a 

past  descriptive,  140,  c 

past  future,  79  ;  93 ;  142 

past  perfect,  140,  d 

present,  139 

present  perfect,  140,  b 

second  past  perfect,  140,  e 

sequence  of,  143 
*than,'  115,  6,  c,  d 
*  there,'  217 
Time 

of  day,  162 

idioms  of,  151,  e;  152,  €\  160,  d\ 
219,  c 


327 


AN  ITALIAN  GRAMMAR 


'to,'  227,  d,  I 
Triphthongs,  4,  C;  63,  a 
Truncation,  29-33 

conditions  of,  30 

irregular,  32 

poetic,  31,  d 

regular,  Zl,  a,  b,  c  , 

titles  truncated,  31,  c 
Tuscan  peculiarities  of  pronuncia- 
tion, 5,  d 

udire,  192 

uno,  69,  b ;  160,  a ;  207 

uscire,  204 

valere,  220 

Variant  forms  of  words,  34-40 

venire,  138 

special  uses  of,  138,  a 
Verbs,  see  Regular,  Irregular,  Tenses 

agreement  of 
with  subject,  144 
with  collectives,  183 

inversion  of  subject,  146 

sequence  of  tenses,  143  ;  170 


Versification,  60-67 

blank  verse,  66 

diphthongs,  63 

elision,  62 

lines,  61 

rhyme,  65 

strophes,  67 

syllables,  64 
vi  (adv.),  126 ;  217,  b,  c 
vi  (pron.),  94;  126,  b,  i 
volere,  133 

special   meanings    of,    133,    c; 
187,  a 
Vowels,  2 

Weather,  expressions  of,  166 
'what,'  rendering  of,  190,  a,  5,  a  ; 

191 ;  191,  a 
'whatever,.'  'whoever,'  209,  b 
'will,'  see  Future 
'would,'  see  Past  future 

'you,'  66,  a,  b,  c,  d;  100,  c 

z,  pronunciation  of,  6,  e,  3,  4 


328 


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